Small- or medium-sized business (SMB) owners may think they're unimportant enough to be targeted by hackers. But the truth is that SMBs are prime targets for hackers since they see these organizations — which have less security and fewer resources compared to enterprises — as easy marks.

More and more cybercriminals are launching watering hole attacks to gain access to company networks. But what exactly is a watering hole attack, and how can you protect yourself from it? Read on to learn how.
How watering hole attacks work
The term “watering hole” colloquially refers to a social gathering place where a particular group of people often go to.

Cybercriminals are getting more creative in infecting computers with malware, and users must step up in order to protect their devices. To stay one step ahead of cybercriminals, you should learn more about their more insidious tricks such as watering hole attacks.

You’ve probably heard it said that not all hackers are dangerous. That’s true, of course. For instance, white hat hackers hack into a system to uncover vulnerabilities and boost its protection against cyberthreats. However, we won't be talking about white hat hackers in this blog.

Cyberattacks come in many different forms, with new methods being developed all the time. What’s bad is that personal information is now often stored online, be it through social media or through government and healthcare services — and these are juicy targets for criminals.

Phishing scams disguise malicious links and emails as messages from trusted sources. The most recent scam to watch out for almost perfectly imitates a trusted invitation to collaborate through Microsoft SharePoint. It’s a three-step attack that’s easy to avoid if you know how it works.

Hackers have plenty of ways to breach your systems. They can use complex programs to exploit software bugs, send emails to dupe you into downloading malware, or insert a malware-infected USB drive directly into your computer. However, another increasingly popular hacking method is a watering hole attack.