Introduction
In the current digital era, businesses depend increasingly on technology and data to run their daily operations. Cyberattacks have the potential to cause large-scale losses, including monetary losses, the loss of sensitive data, and harm to a company’s reputation (Sudar et al., 2020). For instance, Huang, Siegel, and Madnick (2018, p.1) state that almost 32% of businesses are affected by different types of cybercrime.
In this case, an email phishing scam led to a cyberattack on the retailer Brown-Rath. Fortunately, the incident was discovered and stopped before it could seriously hurt the business. However, this incident emphasizes the necessity for businesses to regularly review and improve their security solutions in order to avoid future occurrences of similar incidents.
Background
As a retailer, Brown-Rath handles sensitive customer data like credit card numbers, personal information, and purchase history. Hackers have targeted such information in a significant rise in cyberattacks on retail businesses in recent years (Huang, Siegel, and Madnick, 2018). Phishing emails are one of the main ways in which attackers gain access to a company’s network.
Phishing is a popular form of cyberattack in which an attacker deceives victims into disclosing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account information by using email, phone calls, or text messages (Atlam and Oluwatimilehin, 2023). According to Alabdan (2020), phishing increased by 20% by the end of 2018.
A malicious program, such as a virus or a shell, is installed on the recipient’s computer when they click the link or download the attachment, giving the attacker access to the network. Phishing attacks have evolved over the past few years, making it harder for people and businesses to recognize and stop them.
Critical Analysis
The cyberattack on Brown-Rath’s employee was probably the result of a phishing email. Attackers frequently use phishing scams to access a company’s network, which happened to Brown-Rath. Since the emails frequently appear legitimate and the recipients may not be aware of the risks involved with opening attachments or clicking on links, they can be challenging to identify and prevent.
Recommended Measures to Prevent Future Cyberattacks
Companies must implement security solutions that can recognize and stop phishing emails, recognize and stop malicious software, and secure their network infrastructure in order to stop such attacks. The security solutions should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they can withstand the constantly changing tactics used by attackers. The following remedies are suggested in order to strengthen Brown-security Rath’s measures and stop future cyberattacks.
Employee Education and Awareness
It is critical to inform staff members of the dangers posed by phishing emails and how to spot them. Employees can learn to identify and stay away from suspicious emails, attachments, and links by attending regular training sessions on cybersecurity awareness and best practices (Qabajeh, Thabtah, and Chiclana, 2018). The company’s IT department should be urged to receive any suspicious emails from employees.
Email Filtering
Email filtering is a good way to stop phishing emails from getting to employees’ inboxes (Alabdan, 2020). Employees are less likely to unintentionally download malware when emails with suspicious attachments or links are recognized and blocked by email filtering software.
Installing endpoint protection
Layered protection software can assist in preventing the installation of malware on employees’ workstations (Alabdan, 2020). This kind of software can recognize and block malicious software, preventing it from running on an employee’s computer.
Network segmentation
This technique divides a network into more manageable, smaller segments (Alabdan, 2020). The business can isolate crucial systems and data by implementing network segmentation, lowering the possibility of a cyberattack spreading throughout the entire network.
Conclusion
Enhancing internal networking capabilities and security protocols is essential to preventing cyberattacks. Brown-Rath can significantly lower the risk of a cyber-attack and safeguard its sensitive data and reputation by putting in place employee training and awareness programs, email filtering, endpoint protection, network segmentation, and regular security audits. Cybersecurity threats are becoming more prevalent in today’s digital age, and businesses need to take preventative action to safeguard themselves. To ensure the business is protected from potential risks, cybersecurity must be seen as a continuous process rather than a one-time fix.
Reference List
Alabdan, R. (2020) ‘Phishing Attacks Survey: Types, Vectors, and Technical Approaches’, Future Internet, 12(10). Web.
Atlam, H. F. and Oluwatimilehin, O. (2023) ‘Business Email Compromise Phishing Detection Based on Machine Learning: A Systematic Literature Review’, Electronics, 12(1). Web.
Huang, K., Siegel, M., and Madnick, S. (2018) ‘Systematically Understanding the Cyber Attack Business: A Survey’, ACM Computing Surveys, 51(4), pp. 1-36. Web.
Qabajeh, I., Thabtah, F., and Chiclana, F. (2018) ‘A recent review of conventional vs. automated cybersecurity anti-phishing techniques’, Computer Science Review, 29, pp. 44-55. Web.
Sudar, K. M., et al. (2020) ‘Analysis of Cyberattacks and its Detection Mechanisms’, 2020 Fifth International Conference on Research in Computational Intelligence and Communication Networks (ICRCICN), Bangalore, India. Web.
Vermeulen, K., et al. (2022) ‘Internet scale reverse traceroute’, Proceedings of the 22nd ACM Internet Measurement Conference, Nice, France. Web.