Although all viruses pose dangerous threats to your business’ integrity, there are certain types that specialise in attacking small to medium-sized businesses.
SMBs are normally more prone to cyber attacks because of the value of the information their networks contain, the lack of cyber education in employees and the failure to employ a cybersecurity strategy into the workplace aside from installing antivirus software on the devices.
These three elements combined create the perfect formula to allow cyber criminals to attack your business, and while businesses are starting to become more proactive when it comes to protecting their networks and data, there is still much to be done.
According to Small Business Trends, 28% of all breaches happened to small businesses worldwide.
But the truth is that businesses can’t be expected to just know that they have to apply some sort of cyber security system into their day-to-day activities if there is a lack of education and information about the dangers of cyber security breaches.
To help you familiarise yourself with some of the most dangerous types of viruses that affect SMBs, we have compiled a list of the viruses that you need to stay on the lookout for.
Viruses, Names and Characteristics
This time we are not talking about coronavirus – these viruses are so dangerous that they have attacked small to large-sized companies alike with little empathy to the damage caused. Here are the most dangerous viruses that can affect your business:
Zeus Gameover | Trojan Malware
Perhaps one of the most dangerous viruses out there in 2020, Zeus is a powerful malware virus that gains access to your bank account details with the purpose of stealing the funds in your account. The virus normally is installed onto your computer after you clicked on an infected file that seemed to come from a legitimate source.
This virus does not need a centralised “Command and Control” server to complete any type of transaction, instead it bypasses centralised servers and it creates its own independent servers to send stolen information. This makes it impossible for authorities to trace the stolen funds or data.
Cryptojacking | Malware
While this type of attack has been slowing down in recent years, it’s still one of the most popular reasons why your computer may be running slow without an apparent cause. Cryptojacking is designed to infect a computer for the purpose of “mining” cryptocurrencies.
The amount of power that is needed to generate new crypto coins is extraordinary and it requires a lot of power, which is why cyber-criminals often “hijack” a computer in order to take advantage of someone else’s power. As long as the value of cryptocurrency continues to rise, cryto-jacking will continue to be a threat.
Cyborg | Ransomware
The origin of this particular virus is unknown, but it’s more common than you think. This dangerous virus infects your device after you have opened an infected email urging you to install an urgent Windows update.
Users generally fall for the trick thinking the email comes directly from Microsoft and install the ransomware through an ‘.exe’ file that contains the virus. The virus acts by encrypting all of your files once it has been installed and it demands a payment of ransom in order to decrypt the files.
Fleeceware | Mobile Device Virus
Fleeceware is a virus whose sole purpose is to charge a large amount of money to an app as if you had made a purchase from your own account. While this particular virus doesn’t pose a threat to the personal information found on your device, it still takes advantage of your preloaded payment details found on your mobile device.
In order for your device to be infected with this type of virus, you would have to download an app that is originally infected with Fleeceware. This is normally something done by app developers who try to take funds from unsuspecting users. As of 2020, over 600 million Android users have been affected by Fleeceware.
How can a virus hurt your business?
There are three main reasons why cyber criminals attack a business; 83% of all attacks are finance related, 8% is related towards espionage on the business operations, including employee and clientele information, 3% of attacks is done for fun or as a result of a grudge, while the remaining 6% happens for unknown reasons.
If you think there is no financial gain to obtain from a virus attack on your devices, think again. The data found on your business’ devices can be sold on the dark web, to your competition or used as blackmail.