How to defend yourself from a hacker attack

What should you do when you suffer a hacker attack? A guide to the weapons of computer pirates and the possible countermeasures to be implemented.

How to defend yourself from a hacker attack

We tend to think that hacker attacks are something out of a movie, that at most they concern large companies, or unaware individuals without a certain knowledge of the internet. However, attacking individual users has fallen into disuse, and while it may seem more tempting to attack a large business, it is actually very profitable and popular to attack a small business.

The favorite victims of computer hackers are hospitals , schools , financial institutions , but above all SMEs , which often do not have adequate defenses.

Types of cyber attacks

Hacker attacks are carried out mainly for two objectives: extortion of money , or theft of information . To achieve their goal they use various techniques/tools including:

• Malicious software, such as malware , of which the most popular is ransomware , which encodes data and makes it unavailable to the owner, who is then asked for a ransom ;
• Phishing , i.e. a subterfuge - such as a fake link - through which the unfortunate person is encouraged to hand over personal data ;
• DDoS attacks , which consist of excessive stimulation to the attacked device, which renders it unusable ;
• Social Engineering , a method that involves studying the victim in advance , looking for their weak points, and then creating ad hoc stimuli, such as emails or telephone messages, to extort data or money (similar to phishing).

The most used in 2020 are malware, in 42% of cases.

What to do in case of a hacker attack

When you suffer an attack , the first thing to do is to try to identify the source and the PC, or group of PCs, that was affected. Both to try to isolate and combat the threat , and to be able to collect and preserve evidence of the attack , in view of legal action. Once you have identified the infected computer, you may be tempted to turn it off; however, it can be a favor to the hacker, who can hide and continue to control the situation. It is absolutely not recommended to give in and pay the ransom in the event of attacks such as those with ransomware .

How to avoid hacker attacks

Prevention, in this case, is certainly better than cure. For all those at risk - in particular, as mentioned, SMEs - it has become a necessity to invest in cybersecurity . In the event of an attack, in fact, it costs much more to normalize the situation and repair the damage, rather than spending money upfront on cybersecurity. Among other things, there are techniques and measures that can be implemented for free, or in any case with minimal economic effort, such as:

• Use company computers , rather than personal ones;
• Check your emails carefully , avoiding clicking on suspicious links;
• Change passwords often , using numbers and words that can be traced back to oneself as little as possible;
• Make a backup of external hard drives , not connected to the network, in order to avoid data loss;
• Always update the system software and applications that are used.

These measures, without particular costs, are essential to make your company safer. However, to make your defenses even more efficient, it is recommended to purchase an antivirus and use company firewalls , or even hire an IT security specialist , or rely on a company in the cybersecurity sector.

UAE among the favorite victims

UAE is among the top 10 countries hit by hacker attacks . As government Cyber reports in its 2021 report, from 2017 to 2021 there was an increase in attacks of the order of 78% . A trend, the Italian one, which is confirmed by the global trend, especially in 2020 (1871 serious attacks in the public domain), with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. If the data is not convincing, it is enough to remember the recent attack suffered by the Lazio Region in the second half of August, which still leaves consequences.