A cybersecurity threat is any kind of attack that exploits vulnerabilities in digital systems and could result in a data breach, loss of money or reputational harm. Cyberattacks can be initiated by criminal organizations, states or individuals seeking to make a profit, hackers who enjoy the intellectual challenge of gaining access to systems, disgruntled current or former employees and even “white-hat” hackers who perform tests on systems for their own benefit. The most common attacks are phishing, ransomware and malware. These include viruses, which can replicate, worms that use backdoors to gain access to a system, and Trojans, which pose as harmless programs like apps or games before installing themselves on a device. Other threats include man-in-the-middle attacks that intercept and potentially alter communication between two parties, or denial of service (DoS) attacks that flood a system with traffic to make it unavailable for legitimate users.

Hackers can steal data for financial gain, including credit card numbers or bank accounts. They can also manipulate or destroy it, wreaking havoc with operations or causing customer dissatisfaction or even legal jeopardy. They may also attempt to extort businesses by holding information hostage, as is the case with ransomware.

The risk of being hacked grows as everything becomes connected through the Internet of Things, from home appliances to self-driving cars. This makes it even more crucial for business leaders to understand how to best protect their employees and technology investments against cyberattacks, while keeping digital services running.