Malicious attackers now initiate a new cyberattack every 39 seconds, successfully attacking 81% of organizations.
As a landlord in Orange County, you might wrongly assume you don’t need to concern yourself with cybersecurity. Remember that you work with sensitive information like customer names and financial details every day. Also, any website you’ve created will no longer attract potential tenants if it gets compromised.
The best way to protect yourself, and your tenants, is to know all the different ways you may face a cyber-attack. If you can identify and protect them, you can keep information safe from the prying eyes of hackers.
Let’s go over why landlords should care about cybersecurity and a list of types of cyber-attacks to watch out for.
Why Landlords Must Know the Different Cyber-Attack Types
Landlords might have questions like what the types of cybersecurity threats are and why should they care. There are several reasons the security of your websites and anything your tenants visit online should be a major concern.
Many landlords use a website to advertise their services and gain clients. All the major cyber-attack types can affect the information displayed and puts you at risk of losing clients.
The amount of paperwork the average landlord manages puts them at risk of various types of attacks. Identity thieves can use them to get financial information from you and your tenants. You’re especially at risk of all types of cyber-attacks if you do any transactions online.
Running a small business, such as a single property or small complex, won’t protect you from cyber-attacks. 71% of cyber-attacks targeted businesses with 100 or fewer employees. 6 out of 10 small businesses went out of businesses 6 months after an attack.
You may also be liable if your tenants fall prey to any of the various different types of cyber-attacks. It depends on the type of building you run, and the lease agreements you’ve established, but it could leave you with serious legal and financial penalties.
Cyber-attacks also affect any tenants that use the internet on a property you own. They’ll likely get frustrated if you don’t take any cybersecurity measures and may consider moving somewhere else. 65% of customers won’t return to a site where their information was compromised.
Making a promise to keep your tenant’s information safe is one of the best ways to keep them happy and attract new residents. Check here for more tips on how to fill vacancies.
Type 1: SQL Injections
Landlords typically use contact forms on their websites to let people sign up or receive a quote. Leaving them unprotected puts them at risk of being targeted by one of the most dangerous and common types of cyber-attacks.
An SQL injection occurs when a hacker puts a malicious SQL statement into an entry field. This gives them backdoor access to modify and/or steal information.
The good news is you don’t have to know anything about SQL code to spot an SQL injection attack. There are several signs including modified content, changed passwords, new admins, and changes to your CMS or content management system.
Type 2: Malware
Malware is any type of malicious software or file that’s meant to infect a computer or network to steal information. There are several types, all of which should be avoided.
Viruses trick you into downloading a harmful file that can steal your information, generate pop-up ads, and more. A common example are pop-ups that tell you to update an already existing program like Flash, or your anti-virus software but install malware instead.
Trojan horses, as their name suggests, hide in legitimate programs or files. They perform similar attacks to viruses when opened.
Botnets are malware-spreading software robots that use your network to spread infected emails. They’re often used as part of DDOS attacks which we’ll cover later.
There are other ways to spread malware such as emails and links. The best way to avoid them is not to click anything suspicious and to call a professional if anything weird starts to happen on your network.
Type 3: DDOS Attacks
83% of customers expect a website to load in no more than 3 seconds. Any attack that can slow your network down could cost you their trust.
A DDOS attack barrages a website with fake, automated traffic. This slows load times and can even crash the entire site.
The average organization faces 8 DDOs attacks per day. They’re a cheap, quick way for criminals to affect you. They can turn off potential or current tenants browsing the web.
Type 4: Ransomware
Ransomware, as the names suggest, involves criminals holding your files and/or information hostage. You can identify this type of cybercrime by looking for missing files, a page on your website saying it’s been encrypted, or suspicious emails demanding an untraceable payment.
22% of businesses faced this attack and lost an average of $10,000 paying to get access back. With an average payment of $1,077 per file, this can be one of the most expensive cyber-attack types to face and solve.
Type 5: Phishing
Phishing is one of the many cyber-attack types that masquerade as legitimate requests in an attempt to scam your personal details.
76% of organizations faced fishing attacks in 2016 alone. They can hide almost anywhere but cause serious problems if you fall victim to them.
Phishing attacks can come in the form of emails, links, URLs, and fake websites. If you enter your information, you’ll be giving it to them to use against you, a major problem for banking or other sensitive information.
Phishing emails make up almost 1/3 of all the emails sent, and 30% of them get opened.
Look for suspicious content or major errors. Even the most legitimate-looking page or link could be a potential phishing attack in disguise.
More on Keeping Tenants Safe
Cybersecurity is a major concern for everyone, including landlords. As technology grows, new cyber-attack types emerge every day. It’s important to spot them before they cause serious issues.
Some of the most common cyber-attacks are SQL injections, malware, DDOS attacks, ransomware, and phishing scams. It’s your responsibility as a landlord to make sure that you and your clients don’t fall prey to any of them.
We have a variety of resources with more tips on how to be an effective landlord and get tenants into your property. Get a free rental valuation and contact us today for more information.