The internet brings so many benefits to our day-to-day lives. You can instantly find information that would be difficult (or impossible) to find before the internet, and you can even do it from the palm of your hand. But the internet also brings risks, and not every website can be trusted. Untrustworthy (AKA ‘dodgy’) websites are an entry point for cyber threats such as malware, phishing schemes, and data breaches. For businesses, a quick and accidental visit to one of these websites can have disastrous consequences.
The risks of untrustworthy websites
Malware
These websites often serve as distribution hubs for malware. Once infected, business systems can experience anything from slow performance to complete shutdowns. Malware can spread across networks too, compromising sensitive information and causing even more havoc.
Phishing attacks
Cyber-criminals steal login credentials, credit card details, or personal data by impersonating legitimate websites. Not only could this damage a company’s reputation, but phishing attacks can also lead to significant financial loss and identity theft.
Data breaches
These websites have poor security measures, which act as a gateway for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities and steal sensitive data. Criminals either use your data for further malicious activities, or they act as Initial Access Brokers and sell it to other criminals instead.
Ransomware
Some websites are designed to trigger ransomware attacks, which lock down a company’s data and then demand payment for its release. This is another way that cyber-criminals can steal your money and put your business operations on stand-by – all because someone visiting an untrustworthy website.
How WatchGuard protects businesses
It’s really important that your business does whatever it can to stay off these untrustworthy websites, and there’s tools that can be put in place to help. We’re WatchGuard Gold partners, and WatchGuard have a range of powerful security tools that create a multi-layered strategy that mitigates these risks.
WebBlocker:
WatchGuard WebBlocker is a URL filtering service that lets businesses block access to specific websites or categories of websites that pose threats to security. WebBlocker lets businesses enforce browsing policies, so employees avoid dangerous sites without needing to manually monitor every web interaction. WatchGuard automatically updates WebBlocker to keep up to date with emerging threats, so businesses are always protected from even the newest sites.
Reputation Enabled Defense (RED)
Reputation Enabled Defense, or RED, is a real-time threat intelligence tool. It enhances security by assessing websites based on their history and known behaviours, so businesses can avoid sites that have a poor reputation. Since it’s a cloud-based tool, it doesn’t slow down business networks or disrupt the user experience. The cloud-based nature also means that emerging threats from around the world are identified before they have a chance to reach the business’s network.
These tools keep your business protected from untrustworthy websites by proactively stopping threats before they enter your network. Not only does this mean there less likelihood of malware infections, phishing attacks, and data breaches, but the business also experiences increased productivity, cost savings, and peace of mind.
Looking to protect your business from risks associated with untrustworthy websites? Let’s have a chat to discuss what’s best for your business.
