One of the less fortunate results of living in an increasingly connected world is a steadily rising number of Cybercrime attacks.

[Tweet “34.2% of computer users were subjected to at least one web attack in 2015 via @Kaspersky”]

For every major attack that makes the global headlines, many thousands go unnoticed. But which are likely to cause the most damage?

These three are likely candidates:

1. Ransomware

A relatively new type of virus, ransomware first appeared with the arrival of the Cryptolocker virus at the end of 2013.

Ransomware locks up files on an individual computer, smartphone, tablet or an entire network. The only way to gain access to them again is to pay a ransom, which even the FBI recommends you pay.

Installed via phishing email and malicious links, ransomware is on the rise, with the original virus now available for free to hackers to modify and distribute.

2. Browser plugins

Considering most computer users spend the majority of their time on the Internet, it’s perhaps not a surprise that hackers have started targeting browsing software.

The key to getting access to browsers is through plugins and extensions. Research in 2014 suggested that out of the 48,000 Google Chrome extensions available, 130 were malicious.

Similarly, Adobe Flash represents a well-known weakness for browsers which can be targeted merely by visiting a malicious website.

3. Data breaches

Data breaches have been in the news a lot recently. Corporations and organizations on both sides of the Atlantic have made headlines for losing highly sensitive data.

Breaches should continue to be on top of every company’s list of threats to watch out for, especially when data includes clients’ personal and private information (e.g. medical records, etc.) The black market pays a premium for any data of this type making further targeted attacks a certainty (e.g. trading of +100 million patients records hacked from Anthem last year).

Protecting your company

In addition to virus software, employee monitoring software is an excellent tool to protect your business against these threats.

This type of software can be remotely installed on all your machines, monitor the website and applications your employee’s visit and alert managers to any unusual activity.

Have you been a victim?

If you’ve been a victim of a cyber-crime attack, we’d like to hear your story.

Let us know in the comments section below.