5 Digital Marketing Cybersecurity Threats to Watch Out For
For the past few years, the world has seen some of the worst and most notorious cyberattacks. What’s more alarming is the fact that it can happen to anyone at any time. This is why understanding the importance of cybersecurity must become a top priority for everyone. After all, anyone can fall victim to these cyberattacks, and nobody is an exception.
In an industry that is constantly growing and developing like digital marketing, cyberattackers often find opportunities to infiltrate and cause damage. As unbelievable as it may sound, digital marketers are now equally as vulnerable to cyber-attacks as other industries like banking and finance, travel, and many others. Thus, it’s necessary that marketers are made aware of where the threats may appear and what are these potential attacks.
To find out, listed below are the most prevalent cyber threats in the industry of digital marketing.
Phishing on Emails
Email marketing is among the most effective and common ways for digital marketers to reach out to customers. Unfortunately, hackers are fond of using this platform to acquire data and bring harm to users. Online marketers are especially vulnerable since they are often the ones sending them.
Phishing is the most rampant type of email cyberattack. This method involves social engineering to deceive the email recipient into giving out sensitive and confidential information. Attackers would usually pose themselves as someone from a legitimate source. In order to deter this type of cyber threat, you need a search marketing agency that is fully capable of identifying which emails are sent by a legitimate sender from those that aren’t. In addition, your digital marketing team must constantly report any suspicious activity or behaviour or emails.
Attending training programs and cybersecurity lessons can cut down the potential of phishing attacks on the team.
Social Media Frauds & Scams
As more and more people spend more time browsing through their social media accounts, companies are starting to turn their attention to social media marketing (SMM). However, social media can also become a tool for cyber threats, fraud and deception in particular.
Similar to phishing on emails, social media fraud usually involves people pretending as someone that they are not. Once they’ve fully baited their victim, they would start tricking them into giving them information and asking for monetary support. Oftentimes, they would ask the users to download software which will then block their access to all their personal accounts or details.
In order to avoid any social media fraud and scams, digital marketers need to be extra careful and vigilant with the people they are talking to. It’s easy to get lost in the moment, but it’s necessary to be wary of all the red flags you might notice. Strict judgement must be employed to ensure that no sensitive data are given to perpetrators.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Attacks
Cross-site scripting also referred to as XSS, is a type of cybersecurity threat in which hackers inject malicious code into a trusted site within the browser of a user. It is fairly difficult to identify XSS since many hackers are extremely skilled in making websites appear legitimate and authentic.
To protect yourself and your business from this attack, it’s not enough that you only hire a digital marketing agency. You must also have a cybersecurity team so they can both work together in monitoring and safeguarding your domain.
Malware & Cyber Attacks on CRM
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems can pose another vulnerability vector to your brand. As you know, CRMs software is often used by many businesses today. Unfortunately, this fact alone has made these systems extremely prone to cyber threats.
The attack often occurs when a person mistakenly downloads malware that would allow the hackers to get into the system of the whole company. Remember, it only takes a few seconds for the attack to happen.
One effective way to address and ward off this type of risk is to increase the security protocols and verification requirements within your company especially when it comes to using or managing your CRM system. Along with that, continuous monitoring may avoid data breaches and unauthorised sharing of sensitive information.
Whether you’re still weighing up whether to do your marketing in-house or asking yourself should we hire a digital marketing agency, it all depends on the marketing requirements you have. Just remember this, working with an experienced digital marketing team would give you an edge in understanding these threats and vulnerabilities. This is why it’s important that you look for a team who is fully aware of these risks to keep your brands from any of these attacks.
