Don’t Leave The Backdoor Open!

• by Anthony Orjally
• Advent IM Blog

Are you somebody who leaves their house door unlocked? No? Well then, you need to repeat the same security measures on your computer systems and networks!

A backdoor is an undocumented way of gaining access to a computer system or process specifically installed on a system to compromise software at a later date. A backdoor is a potential security risk if compromised.

What are the risks of Backdoor Attacks?

The primary risk of a cybercriminal using this form of attack is that someone has unauthorised access to sensitive information. Not only will this put them in a position to read the personal data, they can also corrupt and steal it, then continue to perform whatever illegal means they planned to do.

A second risk to your company would be that the attacker could remain undetected for a prolonged time. This means it’s not just your current data at risk of being stolen, but any further data you continue to enter in the computer system or network.

The final risk we will touch on is the potential for damages to your operation systems. An employee who has access to your operating systems can perform whatever means possible with it… therefore the cybercriminal with have these exact same privileges. Changing the system will enable them to lock you out and cause downtime which has plenty of other side effects; such as a loss in revenue, reduced customer trust and a tarnished brand image.

Best practices to Prevent and Mitigate Backdoor Attacks;

Now that we know the risks of backdoor attacks, how can we significantly reduce the chances of them affecting us?

One method would be to perform regular security audits, as following a thorough review you will be able to identify any potential vulnerabilities within the system that could be exploited via a backdoor attack. This is why auditing your computer systems and networks should be essential, therefore they should also be scheduled as a regular occurrence and ensure the audits carried out are effectively identifying any (potential) risks.

Another way in which you could avoid or mitigate a backdoor attack would be to improve your security systems. One way in which this is possible would be to update all of your software to their latest versions – this is because the latest versions will have identified and removed any previous version’s security risks, so by updating the software you’re reducing the chance of being caught up in a data breach.

Keep yourself safe & protected! Treat your computer systems or networks the same as you would treat your house… do not leave any doors unlocked! The risks could be detrimental to the future of your business, so carry out these best practices and you’ll seriously reduce the chances of becoming a victim of a backdoor attack.