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Top 5 Cybersecurity Challenges in Digital Marketing
October 18, 2022
Marketing
Ever heard of that saying, don’t fix what ain’t broken?
While it may hold true for several things, cybersecurity is not one of them. Delving into cybersecurity requires a heightened sensitivity to vulnerabilities and suspicious activities that endanger businesses.
With various businesses setting up shop in cyberspace, the need for tighter security protocols has become more pressing.
The data held by several companies become susceptible to malicious actors in the absence of cybersecurity checks.
The digital marketing industry is just as susceptible to it.
An article from CMO Australia alludes to a report by RSA Security that addresses the CMOs’ low awareness of cybersecurity.
According to the report, cybersecurity is not a significant part of discussions among organizations. Only four out of ten marketers talk about cybersecurity.
While the rate is alarming, it is not exactly surprising. Businesses have yet to receive education on proper cybersecurity measures. Depending on the industry, they have to set industry-specific checks against cyber threats.
To help us understand the potential solutions to these issues, let us look at five cybersecurity threats that endanger your marketing business.
The 5 Threats Against Cybersecurity Your Business Should Watch Out For
1. Fraudulent Social Media Tactics
Social media are fertile grounds for fraud and deception. Like what people behind phishing do, social media hackers pose as people whom they are not. They deceive people into giving them information. Some of them ask users to download sketchy software for ransomware without them even knowing.
As digital marketers often spend time on social media, they are susceptible to these scams.
Marketers have become wary of users who ask them to download software or files from social media. They are becoming aware that these files might serve the purpose of infiltrating their accounts and business machines.
2. Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are among the most common and potent methods of breaching a marketer’s email database. If marketers are not sharp enough, they can open these emails, unleashing the digital eyes and hands of hackers on their accounts.
For instance, in February this year, OpenSea fell victim to a phishing attack that cost users $1.7 million worth of NFTs.
Many industries are reporting a surge in phishing attacks recently; the reported numbers exceed the rates recorded during the pandemic.
3. Remote Execution Attacks
Marketers’ eCommerce platforms also bring a lot of threats to their databases.
A company’s eCommerce platform may be open to hackers if proper security checks are not placed. These platforms may have vulnerabilities that may have been easily overlooked.
If marketers are not careful, hackers can operate a remote code on their eCommerce platform even without any form of authentication. Safeguarding your website means having to scrutinize your system for potential vulnerabilities.
Popular companies such as Adobe and Shopify have already fallen victim to data breaches over the past two years.
Implementing multi-factor authentication can help prevent remote execution attacks by requiring additional forms of identification beyond a simple password, making it more difficult for hackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Digital marketers should also consider implementing Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions to secure and manage privileged access to their critical systems and data. PAM solutions provide a secure and centralized platform for managing privileged accounts and their access, which can help prevent unauthorized access to critical systems and data, reduce the risk of insider threats and cyber attacks, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
4. Brute Force Attacks
Marketers should fortify their databases and platforms by creating strong passwords and double-level authentication solutions.
As they frequently use Content Management Systems (CMSs), these become vulnerable to brute force attacks. WordPress is one of the known online businesses that have suffered from such types of attacks.
Outdated and unnecessary plug-ins also increase the chances of attacks. Learning from their negligence, WordPress has developed security plug-ins that keep attacks at bay.
5. Malware
Not even CRM systems are spared from potential malware attacks. As CRM systems have become crucial to digital marketing, marketers frequent them for various operations. This makes the systems vulnerable to attacks. In January 2021 U.S. Cellular’s customer database was reportedly breached by malware, compromising sensitive client data.
Apart from this, malware can deprive the company’s access to its owners and creators.
Hackers can steal the company’s data; they can also take data hostage and use it to extort data owners.
The Need For Robust Cybersecurity Protocols
The solution lies in education and investment in protocols and software that protects data.
Hiring the right people to maintain and monitor system breaches is the first step to ensuring data security.
Digital marketers should use multi-layer protection to safeguard their content delivery network (CDN).
Heightened monitoring of software vulnerabilities is a recommendable preemptive solution to potential attacks on a marketer’s platform.
Digital marketers should train their employees to be sensitive to potential threats.
Employees should sharpen their judgment when working with CRMs, social media, and emails because these are the avenues they engage in.
Additionally, practices on onboarding new hires should include training them on how to handle sensitive data.
Marketers should also develop backup solutions so that they may not lose access to their digital information.
These ground-level solutions are not enough without the support of communities.
On top of this, marketers must ensure GDPR compliance.
Marketers who implement these enrich discussions and pave the way for standardized processes that could render the problem of data theft obsolete.
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