Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly sophisticated, transforming the way we interact with technology. However, AI's prevalence has also paved the way for it to become involved in a cyber war between malicious actors and security providers.

In popular media, cybercriminals are often portrayed targeting big corporations or top government agencies. In reality, they typically attack small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). This is because these organizations are easier to infiltrate: unlike large enterprises, SMBs may lack crucial resources, such as budget and IT personnel, hampering their ability to implement sophisticated cybersecurity tools and technologies.

Contrary to popular belief, cybersecurity incidents often aren't the work of highly sophisticated hacking techniques alone, but rather, they are due to simple mistakes like weak passwords or clicking on malicious links. This means cybersecurity is not just the sole responsibility of the IT department or security experts; it concerns every employee in an organization.

These days, cybersecurity isn’t the sole responsibility of IT departments; it’s a collective effort involving every employee. According to Verizon's 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, 74% of breaches involved the human element, such as misuse, social engineering attacks, and simple errors.

In a ransomware attack, cybercriminals encrypt the victim's critical data and ask for a ransom in exchange for giving back data access. But contrary to what many may believe, ransomware attacks don't just happen overnight. The reason these attacks are so successful is that they're meticulously planned, often over the course of many months.

Ransomware has become a pervasive threat to modern business, accounting for over 236 million attacks in the first half of 2022 alone. For those who don’t know, ransomware encrypts your systems and data unless you pay a ransom, usually in an untraceable cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.

Ransomware attacks are becoming more frequent and expensive, dealing irreparable damage to businesses of all sizes and industries by encrypting data and rendering it inaccessible until a ransom is paid to the perpetrator.

But while ransomware is a formidable foe, mitigating its impact is possible with early threat detection and swift response.

The interconnectivity of today’s business landscape has given rise to an increasingly common form of cybercrime: business e-mail compromise (BEC) schemes. BEC involves exploiting the trust of company employees and manipulating them into participating in fraudulent activities or transactions.

Rapid technological advancements have revolutionized the business landscape, but they have also opened the gates to a barrage of cybersecurity threats. From customer data theft to disruptions in business operations, the risks to a business's IT infrastructure have never been greater.

From storing sensitive customer data to facilitating communication to conducting online transactions, businesses nowadays largely depend on digital systems and networks. For these systems and networks to be effective, a robust IT infrastructure is crucial.