As your business operations continue to increasingly rely on computers and the internet, it becomes more vulnerable to a rising trend of cyberattacks in recent years. Studies indicate that the rate of cyberattacks in 2022 surged by over 38% compared to 2021. With this yearly increase in hacking rates, businesses must remain more vigilant than ever.
In this article, we will examine common signs that your business may have been hacked. Recognizing these signs will enable you to take prompt action and find solutions to the attack before it inflicts significant harm on your business. So, without further delay, let’s delve into the details.
Indicators that your business has been hacked
Some Logins No Longer Work
If some members of your team suddenly find themselves locked out of their accounts or platforms without a clear explanation, it’s often a sign that unauthorized access has occurred. This is because one of the first actions a hacker takes after gaining access to an account is to change the login credentials, effectively blocking the legitimate user.
To resolve this, you need to start investigating any reports of such incidents promptly. You can also implement strong password policies that require regular password changes and the use of complex, unique passwords on accounts that hackers haven’t compromised yet.
To prevent such attacks in the future, you need to start monitoring login activity, and setting up alerts for suspicious login attempts can help detect unauthorized access early. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) can provide an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access.
Suspicious Emails
Suspicious emails are often a key indicator of a cyberattack, particularly through phishing attempts. These attacks involve hackers sending deceptive emails with the goal of tricking recipients (in this case, your employees) into revealing sensitive information like login credentials or financial details. Such emails can be cleverly disguised to appear as if they’re from trusted sources, making them particularly dangerous.
To address this threat, you need to invest in employee cybersecurity training to help them recognize and report suspicious emails promptly. You should also Implement robust email filtering systems that can automatically identify and quarantine potential phishing emails, reducing the risk of them reaching employees’ inboxes.
Another effective way to deal with attacks made through emails is by clearing protocols for reporting suspicious emails internally and educating employees not to click on links or download attachments from unfamiliar sources.
Unusual Network Activity
Some signs of unusual network activity include sudden increases in data traffic, irregular patterns of data transfer, or unexpected program executions. These anomalies may signal potential unauthorized access or malicious activity within a network. When you detect such, every member of your team should be informed and take necessary actions, such as changing their account passwords and adding 2FA on all platforms and systems that support it.
To prevent such issues in the future, businesses should employ network monitoring tools that continuously analyze network traffic and detect unusual patterns. It is also crucial to establish a baseline for normal network activity, making it easier to identify deviations. Network administrators should be trained to recognize and respond to signs of unusual network behavior promptly. Implementing strong access controls and conducting regular security audits can also help prevent unauthorized access to network resources.
Ransomware Demand
Receiving a ransom demand is a critical sign that a business is under a cyberattack, specifically a ransomware attack. For those who may not be familiar with this term, Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts a business’s data and demands a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. Unfortunately, by the time a ransom demand is received, the ransomware infection is already active.
When you receive a ransomware demand, the first thing you must do is isolate affected systems immediately to prevent the ransomware from spreading further within the network. Passwords to all the unaffected accounts should be changed immediately to prevent the attack from spreading further.
You should also consider reporting the incident to law enforcement and cybersecurity authorities. It’s essential not to pay the ransom, as doing so doesn’t guarantee data recovery and may incentivize future attacks. Instead, businesses should restore affected systems from secure backups and strengthen cybersecurity measures to prevent future attacks, such as regular patching, employee training, and robust endpoint security solutions.
Unusual Messages from Internal Accounts
When your team encounters unusual messages from internal accounts within your organization, it’s important to scrutinize them thoroughly. These messages may contain links or attachments that, upon closer inspection, appear out of place or suspicious. While some may seem not to be harmful, they could also be part of external phishing attempts.
Additionally, it’s critical to consider the possibility that the internal account in question has been compromised. A hacked internal account can serve as a gateway for malicious actors to access your system further. To mitigate this risk, immediate investigation and, if necessary, the resetting of account credentials is essential.
It is also crucial to reach out to the exact team member sending the messages using other platforms (preferably a video call or meeting physically, if possible) to confirm if the messages they’re sending are legitimate.
Mysterious Programs or Files on Your System
Certain types of malware enable hackers to unanimously install and execute software on your systems. When new, unfamiliar applications or files suddenly manifest on devices within your network, it is crucial to initiate an immediate investigation. These applications can often be tricky and challenging to remove without advanced IT knowledge.
Furthermore, hackers often modify file names to cover their tracks and evade detection. Detecting these subtle changes may require robust network monitoring capable of distinguishing between typical file alterations and those that signal malicious intent. Once detected, the affected systems need to be isolated, and your team should be briefed about not opening such files without the guidance of cybersecurity experts.
Unusual Changes to Files or Systems
Unexplained alterations to files or systems should raise alarm bells within your IT team. Such changes could include the deletion or tampering of critical files, the introduction of unauthorized software or programs, or unanticipated adjustments to system configurations. Investigating these anomalies promptly is paramount to prevent further damage.
Employing file integrity monitoring systems can assist in identifying unauthorized alterations. When you detect these mysterious changes, the affected systems and networks should be isolated and immediate investigation triggered to find out the cause of these changes. Users with accounts associated with the attacked systems should also reset their login credentials to prevent further access.
Security Alerts and Warnings
Security alerts and warnings generated by your cybersecurity software should be taken seriously. These alerts are often indicators of potential threats, such as the presence of malware, suspicious login attempts, or other security-related issues. You should encourage your team to report such alarms as soon as they see them.
Your cybersecurity team or partner should immediately start investigations to assess the nature and severity of these alerts. Other response actions for this situation may include isolating affected systems, applying security patches, and enhancing security measures to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Unusual Financial Activity
Given that financial gain is usually the main motivation for hackers, regular monitoring of your company’s financial accounts and statements is paramount. Pay close attention to any irregular withdrawals, payments, or unexpected financial transactions from your accounts. Even small, incremental unauthorized transactions can add up.
Detecting and reporting unusual financial activity promptly can be instrumental in stopping a breach in its tracks. If you detect any unusual activities on your bank accounts, the first thing you need to do is report to your bank so that the accounts are frozen immediately to prevent any new transactions from being triggered. An investigation should also be done in collaboration with your bank to determine the source of these attacks.
Slow Network, Computer, or Internet Operation
Unexplained network slowdowns, sluggish computer performance, or internet operations that deviate from the norm should not be ignored. These anomalies could indicate data exfiltration, where sensitive information is being illicitly transferred out of your system. They may also suggest that malicious software is operating in the background, consuming system resources, or that remote malicious operations are taking place.
Once you detect such anomalies, your cybersecurity team or partner should start immediate investigations to figure out the cause to help prevent further data loss or system compromise.
Final thoughts
These are common signs of cyberattacks to watch for when checking your business’s cybersecurity. It’s important that everyone on your team knows these signs so they can alert others as soon as they spot one. To catch these signs early, you need a well-trained cybersecurity team and systems in place.
If you have cybersecurity gaps in your team, you should consider teaming up with Wizard Cyber. We have the expertise and experience in cybersecurity services to help you detect and resolve any form of cyberattack before they cause any significant harm to your business.
