Basic Rules of SMS Marketing: Dos and Don’ts for Text Messages

By

-

December 14, 2022

Marketing technologies are evolving, and one of the significant platforms in the marketing sphere is SMS marketing.

Over time, the scope of text marketing is gaining prominence, and the results from text marketing like the free SMS are delivering results.

For small businesses or large-scale organizations, working on SMS marketing can be a potential choice as it is more economical in comparison to various other options for customer communication patterns.

Also, SMS marketing kind of text marketing is fast, efficient, and can be used for reaching out to a large group of members with a single -click of a button, kind of ease of use.

In the mobile marketing phenomenon, SMS marketing has gained its popularity in quick turnaround time, and despite the current social media marketing boom, the scope and demand for text marketing using SMS marketing have not gone down.

SMS marketing or text marketing is seen to have better hit rates for the campaigns, and kind of text marketing conditions.

Some of the statistics referring to how text marketing in the form of SMS marketing is resourceful for businesses are:

The redemption rate of the digital coupons sent via SMS marketing has a higher click rate than the conventional printed coupons.
Many of the text messages delivered to the target groups are being read by the customers.
Compared to other digital communication channels, SMS marketing has a click-through rate that is 9.8% greater.

Basis the success and sustainable growth of SMS marketing platforms and free SMS solutions available in the market, it is evident that the scope of SMS marketing is high and still the solution has higher demand in the market.

Like other marketing practices, even in the case of SMS marketing, there are certain rules which are significant to support effective marketing and quality returns from the process.

Good Practices for SMS Marketing

To reap good benefits from SMS marketing, the following are some of the good practices or rules that one call follow.

1. Call-to-Action Targets

SMS messages are short and have a limited scope of 160 characters long. Thus, be it the free SMS campaign or the paid text marketing with SMS marketing, the objective should be about using the call-to-action (CTA) in the text message.

The message must be so precise and need clear information that pushes the customers towards action in response to the text marketing.

If there are lengthy messages in the SMS marketing or too much information stuffed in as the text marketing, responses for such messages could be challenging.

Also, if the message does not have the appropriate information to trigger the user’s interest, the campaign may fail to generate user interest.

2. Precise Content

SMS marketing should be having adequate inputs structured within the short text marketing.

Focusing on the key points to be mentioned in the message and ensuring that the messages are being effectively planned for communicating the issues to the customers are important.

Adapting to the communication practices like Keeping it short and simple has always fared well in SMS marketing.

3. Attention Grabbers

The success of SMS marketing can be effective only when there is the right kind of attention grabbers in text marketing.

In the free SMS or the paid SMS marketing campaigns, the hit rates are high for the messages wherein there is substantial information like the offers on products or services, quick decision grabbers like first come discounts, etc.

4. Timing the SMS marketing

SMS marketing needs to be timed effectively. With thousands of mobile users marking text marketing as spam, one needs to be cautious of timing the SMS marketing.

The instances of repeated delivery of SMS marketing to the customer groups might irk them, and they might mark it as spam.

Also, if the SMS marketing is being delivered at the wrong time of the day, the chances of such marketing campaigns going unnoticed among the customer groups too are high.

To avoid such factors, one must focus on the timing of the text marketing campaign.

In an illustrative scenario, when the SMS marketing is scheduled for delivery during peak working hours, the probability of the text marketing campaign getting a weak response rate is higher.

Both in the case of paid SMS marketing or free SMS-oriented text marketing, if the timing is not well, the results from such practices can always be poor.

5. Marketing Campaign Segmentation

The other key aspect one must consider is the market campaign segmentation and accordingly planning the free SMS or text marketing using the SMS marketing campaigns.

The classification must be on the generic target text marketing which is circulated to all the target group circles.

In the other dimension, for the customized messages, ensure that the text marketing is customized and choose the proper communication practices for delivering a better SMS marketing campaign.

Among the other set of major mistakes in SMS marketing, the messages does not have proper correspondence information and avoid doing that.

Rather than a simple message for free SMS, text marketing should contain some sort of contact information like the URL visit, the contact number or email details, etc. wherein the customers can trigger a call-for-action.

Subscribers or potential customers should know the details of who has sent the information alongside the content of the text marketing.

The other basic rule for effective SMS marketing is to choose the right kind of service provider offering the SMS marketing platforms having advanced filter options, bulk SMS marketing facility, an option of free SMS solutions, and secured service leading to the text marketing reaching out to the intended audience.

When choosing a service provider for signing up to text marketing plan dans services – it is important to understand the success ratio, irrespective of the kind of SMS marketing content quality.

To have more strategic support on SMS marketing, and assured quality of services, reach out to the Exabytes Malaysia customer support team for more information on bulk SMS marketing solutions.

With plans starting as low as RM199/month, Exabytes Malaysia provides SMS marketing and text marketing at cheap, affordable prices.

Bulk SMS Malaysia

Related articles:

How Can SME Leverage SMS Marketing?

SMS Marketing Trends and Predictions You Must Follow

2FA Two-Factor Authentication: Essential Part for Cybersecurity

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 14, 2022

0

Digital enablement of businesses has become an impeccable need for organizations to manage business operations and effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Even for the users, there is increasing dependency on cyber solutions for managing business operations.

Among the cyber ecosystem, one of the critical aspects for review is cybersecurity, and currently, the scope of two factor authentication (2fa) or multi factor authentication (mfa) models is gaining popularity.

Authentication technically refers to the accessibility provided for the users to access the application systems or the hardware infrastructure or even a simple email account.

Earlier to the multi factor authentication model, conventional practices are about using the single-factor authentication models wherein the users are required to provide their username and password to access the information system.

However, with the increasing social engineering or phishing attacks, the need for a two-factor or multi factor authentication process appears rationale.

One of the key challenges in the single-factor authentication practice is the vulnerability of others gaining access to the user credentials.

For instance, if the user-id and password of an email get stored accidentally over a public system, it is easy for other users to gain access to the email accounts.

Similarly, if the user credentials of a banking account get into the hands of hackers, the challenges of such cybersecurity issues are complex.

Thus, the scope of multi factor authentication is used for avoiding cybersecurity challenges.

Technically, two factor authentication, or the 2FA is about the usage of two layers of security patterns for accessing an application system or network or hardware infrastructure to which the set-up is deployed.

In parlance to the general illustration, having a house or shop secured with multiple locks is safer than securing them with one lock.

Though the vulnerability of attacks always exists, the probability of such attacks reduces with the additional layer of security available in the form of 2FA or multi factor authentication.

The system of 2FA is double layered user credentials, wherein one can depend on the two different patterns for gaining access to the account.

In general, across the multi-factor or two factor authentication models, the first factor of authentication is the user-id and password or passcode available for the digital devices.

The second factor of the authentication is used as dynamic code or alternative additional security option used for affirming the authentication process.

Generally, the 2FA is the dynamic passcode like the TOTP authenticator generated passcode (this passcode refreshes every 30 seconds or so) or the usage of the biometric, facial scanner, or OTP (one-time password) sent to the email or the associated mobile number as a message.

Learn more about What is TOTP authenticator.

More often, in the multi factor authentication models, the users are given some option to be chosen for the 2FA or multi factor authentication.

While the multi factor authentication models are used in advanced scenarios of user login or into highly secured systems login process.

But in general, the popular approach is to rely on two factor authentication. Some of the key benefits of using the two factor authentication model are

Increased Security for the User Accounts

The predominant benefit of using the two factor authentication model is to rely on the two distinct factors which are useful for securing the systems.

Unless both factors are authenticated the users do not gain access to the designated application system.

It helps in ensuring that if there is any data loss like the passwords getting exposed to the public etc. the damage is limited.

User Account Freeze

Among the advanced range of cybersecurity practices, the anomaly to user account detection practices is an effective solution.

And in the two factor authentication process, the user account freeze systems are a feasible outcome.

When the users give an appropriate first-factor authentication, and the second-factor authentication like the biometric or facial or other means of recognition fails repeatedly for 3-4 attempts, the systems could temporarily block the user account.

By adopting this approach, even if the accounts get into the wrong hands, the challenges are addressed, and the admins can reactivate the user accounts to post the necessary verification.

Thus, any kind of phishing attacks happening in such instances can be avoided, and data security is possible, in the 2FA or multi factor authentication process.

Relief from Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are the major cybersecurity issue facing endpoint users.

The hackers replicate a false URL appearing like the actual one and seek the user credentials.

In the absence of two factor authentication, hackers can make use of such data to gain access to the actual transaction systems.

However, with the two factor authentication system, even if the users enter the first-factor authentication like the password, when the system does not auto-generate the 2FA, it is a kind of signal to the users about the phishing probability.

Ease of Retrieval to the Accounts

In some of the cloud applications having the integration of multi-authentication systems, even if the users forget the password, using the other authentication measures, the users can gain access to their user accounts.

The key advantage of the multi factor authentication or the two factor authentication system is its strong security prospect combined with ease of application.

While the user-level security of the applications is strengthened using the 2FA or multi factor authentication models, many users ignore the option and rely only on the single authentication set-up.

If organizations can encourage their users to mandatorily adopt the 2FA, it can help in addressing cybersecurity challenges to a certain extent.

Globally, in many of the cloud-based applications, e-business solutions, and other digital platforms, the service providers are encouraging users to rely on the two factor authentication model to enhance the security of the user accounts.

As in the case of using deploying the applications and monitoring using the Acronis cyber-protect, the two factor authentication or 2FA system as popularly known is a mandatory structure to support the accessibility of the cloud-based application.

For more details on the implementation of 2FA or multi factor authentication, models reach out to our customer support team at Exabytes Malaysia for deployment models and the know-how across its platforms.

Cyber Protection Solution

Related articles:

Remote Work Cybersecurity: How to Ensure Your Data Security

Is Cybersecurity Important for the Healthcare Sector?

Multi-Factor Authentication: Modern Cybersecurity Awareness

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 14, 2022

0

Cybersecurity is a major concern, and global businesses and tech organizations are exploring and implementing a distinct set of options for improving cybersecurity factors.

One such critical development is multi factor authentication (MFA), a kind of authentication method requiring the users to provide two or more sets of verification factors, in terms of gaining access to information systems like online accounts, access to a business application, or net banking systems, or the VPN.

What is Multi Factor Authentication in Short

Multi factor authentication alias MFA is seen as a strong and core component in the Identity and Access Management (IAM) policy.

In addition to the fundamental user credential being verified for access, the systems seek an additional set of verification factors basis the use case scenarios, purposefully designed to avoid cyber-attacks.

In the case of successful implementation of the MFA authentication, the scope of phishing attacks, or social engineering attacks rate is low.

Multi factor authentication is important as it enhances the business information systems security in terms of seeking the users to identify themselves using more options just than the username and password conditions.

Simple usernames and password kind of structures are prone to vulnerability and brute-force attacks.

Phishing Attack Email — Example of phishing email attack.

With the current range of phishing and social engineering attacks, taking place, the use of multifactor authentication systems is seen as a potential solution to address the issue.

Some of the commonly used MFA is thumbprint or physical hardware key, which leads to an increased layer of security features, and it is challenging for cyber criminals to breach the user credentials into the systems.

MFA works by leading the users to provide additional verification information in the account setting conditions.

There are multiple sets of MFA practices in place like password security, one-time passwords, or the TOTP options as a multi factor authentication source.

Basis the structure, the following are the key types of multi factor authentication being adopted.

One in the human touch or human-centric process like the biometric, face recognition, or retina scanning (in the advanced infrastructure locations, and specialty hardware) for managing the MFA authentication using the system.

The second form is the one wherein the modifications are basis the incremented or time value-based inputs like the one-time passwords, time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) as the multi factor authentication, or a random generation of the passcodes which are valid only for a specific time.

Another pattern of the multi factor authentication or MFA authentication process is about using the structured approach of pattern set which is widely used as per the devices.

Some elements like pattern unlocking and pre-defined questions are sought at random and their relative answers as stored in the information system servers.

There is a need for the organization to use such multi factor authentication.

Depending on the systems and process, the necessary multi factor authentication system can be used for the process.

In some of the applications, there is the scope of customized multifactor authentication models like seeking the information from the past activities of the customers, or mapping the images which were earlier chosen as their favorites, etc.

Such pattern designs based multi factor authentication models too can increase the layers of security.

Research studies have observed the scope for pattern breaking in the MFA and have advocated that the applications have a random MFA authentication process.

For instance, while the first authentication factor in multi factor authentication is user-id and password, the second authentication factor can be the pattern unlock or image selection or TOTP or OTP, etc among which there is a random selection, and such parameters help in improving the cybersecurity levels using the multi factor authentication process.

New age research studies are also focusing on the multi factor authentication models using artificial intelligence (AI) for the decision on the MFA implementation screening.

For example, the AI-based system shall screen the user requests to access, and identify the user’s IP address, geo-location possibly, and the devices from which the login is attempted to MFA secured system.

If the users’ devices, networks, and geo-locations stand routine and are whitelisted, the simple range of MFA can be used as an implementation scenario.

Adaptive authenticating is the process wherein the MFA authentication systems screen the login attempts to understand any kind of anomaly systems in practice, and accordingly seek more than two kinds of multi factor authentication systems, to ensure the user requests to the systems are genuine.

Some of the benefits integral to executing the MFA systems in the management of the application are:

It helps the users have more control over the user credentials for login into the e-business applications
The security layers for the applications are increased which can help in cutting down the chances of social engineering or phishing attacks, because of implementing multi factor authentication.
Stands a fundamental solution in the Identity and Access Management controls, using the MFA authentication
There are options for the users to attempt the login if one option of authentication is not possible in the instance, as MFA is about multiple authentication models
Deploy automated analysis for multifactor authentication using AI solutions.

While there are scores of benefits to using multi factor authentication, some of the key aspects that turn challenge for the users in multi factor authentication are

Users need to carry their mobile devices for accessing the TOTP or OTP delivered as text messages or in-app messages for verification in the MFA
Users need to remember the answers they have mentioned to the questions, and if the answers do not match, the chances of the user account temporarily getting blocked are possible because of mismatched data in MFA authentication
At times it could be seen as an inconvenience to consider the usage of multi factor authentication for regularly used applications like emails, business system login, etc.

If you prefer implementing multi factor authentication models for your business applications, the service solutions available from Acronis Cyber Protect can be highly resourceful for managing the MFA authentication across the platforms.

To know more, and to understand how the multi factor authentication process can help in improving the overall process of security of your systems, reach out to Exabytes Malaysia for more details and subscription plans.

Cyber Protection Solution

Related articles:

2FA Two-Factor Authentication: Essential Part for Cybersecurity

What Should I Do If I Get Spam Emails or Fake Mails?

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 14, 2022

0

Scammers attempt to steal your passwords, account numbers, or social security numbers through fake mail or text communications.

They might gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts if they have such information.

Instead, they could sell the information to other con artists. Every day, scammers attempt hundreds of spam email assaults like this, and they are frequently successful.

Phishing scam emails and SMS messages frequently present a tale in order to persuade you to click on a spam email link or open an attachment.

You may get an unexpected fake email or text message that appears to be from a firm you know or trusts, such as a bank, credit card, or utility provider.

Such a scam mail could also be from an online payment website or app.

According to Statista- During the first quarter of 2022, 23.6 percent of global scam email phishing attempts targeted financial institutions.

Moreover, web-based software services and webmail accounted for 20.5 percent of scam email assaults, making these two businesses the most targeted for spam email phishing during the investigated quarter.

Things to Do When You Get Spam Email or Fake Mail?

Spam emails, often known as junk mail, are unsolicited bulk-sent fake email messages that arrive in an inbox. One most likely receives junk emails and marketing communications on a regular basis.

However, there is one distinction between spam email communication and a commercial message: authorization.

Businesses often send valid marketing emails when you opt-in to receive them, they do not send you unsolicited emails without you subscribing to them.

They let you join up for newsletters, and services, access members-only content and share messages via email and social media.

Junk emails frequently originate from fake email accounts and might include obscene or unlawful information.

These scam emails frequently employ fear-mongering techniques, include errors and false information, and are distributed in mass by an unknown sender.

The flood of junk emails can be slowed down in certain ways. Here are six easy steps you may do to reduce spam emails.

1. Add to Spam

Algorithms in the majority of email systems, including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Microsoft Outlook, and Apple Mail, filter out spam emails and junk mail by storing them in a folder.

If you detect a junk email in your normal inbox, designate it as junk email instead of deleting it.

A suspicious email will be placed in the junk email folder if it is marked as spam. In the future, the spam email filter will know not to allow any emails from this address to reach your inbox.

2. Get Rid of Spam Emails

When dealing with spam emails, there is a basic principle: if it seems like junk email, it usually is; thus, delete it without clicking or downloading anything.

Such scam emails may contain software that notifies the sender that you have opened the message, demonstrating that your account is active and perhaps opening the door to other junk emails.

Some malware programs have the ability to capture your email address and transmit spam emails under the pretense of a valid address.

Imposters could, for instance, pretend to be someone you know, such as a friend, cousin, or work colleague.

3. Be Discreet with Your Email Address

Your likelihood of receiving more spam emails increases if you disclose your email address.

Keep things secret if it’s not absolutely necessary to reveal them. Change your email’s privacy settings as well.

4# Utilize an Outside Spam Email Filter

Even though your email service provider may have a spam email filter of its own, adding a third-party spam mail filter can offer an extra degree of security.

Before arriving in your mailbox, the emails will pass through two spam email filters. Therefore, if it escapes one spam email filter, the other ought to capture it.

Your devices can be safeguarded by efficient email filters against malware threats, assaults, and unwanted information.

Find an anti-spam filter that integrates with your email provider and caters to your specific requirements.

Spamexperts filtering spam email — Anti-Spam Software

5. Change Your Email Address

If the spam emails keep coming in, there may have been a data breach that revealed the email address.

With your information in the hands of thieves, spam email prevention might be challenging. In this situation, changing your email address is one solution.

It’s simple to set up additional accounts using free email services like Gmail so you can reduce the number of junk emails that reach your main mailbox.

6. Remove Yourself from Mailing Lists

It’s best to unsubscribe from email lists if you want to maintain discretion from spam emails.

Online forms, social networking, and scraping tools are common places for marketers to find your email address.

They may even buy your information from other businesses. So, the fewer subscriptions you have, the harder it will be for spammers and marketers to send you spam emails.

What to Do When One Opens a Phishing Scam Email?

Be sure to take the following actions if you opened a phishing scam email but did not click or download anything:

Avoid just unsubscribing! Mark it as spam mail to help your email service provider (such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or another) send harmful fake mail straight to your spam email folder.
Just in case, run a malware scan on your computer to check for trojan horses, ransomware, and other threats. These might be used by scammers to access your email account.
Inform your relatives, friends, and employer to avoid opening similar fake emails. This might stop additional harm, such as family identity theft.

Conclusion

Even though junk emails are obnoxious, some of them pose a threat to your online security.

Some spam email communications include malware, viruses, and other forms of online danger.

It is best if you get spam email detectors like SpamExperts Anti-Spam Solution by Exabytes to Improve Your Business Productivity.

Getting the Anti-Spam Solution from Exabytes is the best you can do to detect junk emails and save your organization from cyber-attacks.

To know more about Anti-Spam Solutions offered by Exabytes, contact us now.

Anti-Spam Solution

Read more to enhance your knowledge of security:

Why Is Spam Filtering Important for Your Mail Box?

How to Spot Spam Mail and Protect Yourself

Website Vulnerability Scanners: Types & Benefits

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 14, 2022

0

Maintaining an organization’s security requires regularly scanning the networks and software for security flaws.

To identify security flaws in their computer systems, networks, applications, and procedures, the majority of security teams use vulnerability scanners.

According to Statista – Around 52 million data breaches were reported to internet users globally in the second quarter of 2022. All of these breaches occurred as a result of attackers discovering vulnerabilities in the website with the use of vulnerability scanners.

Not surprisingly, malicious vulnerability scanner bots examine a website for vulnerabilities hundreds of times each week.

Hackers use web scanner surveillance assaults in order to locate susceptible websites. Furthermore, roughly half of all websites have significant vulnerabilities.

Table of Contents

What is a Vulnerability Scanner?
Website Vulnerability Scanner Types
Advantages of Using a Website Vulnerability Scanner

What is a Vulnerability Scanner?

The automated technique of proactively discovering network, application, and security flaws is known as vulnerability scanning, sometimes referred to as “vuln scanning.”

Vulnerability scanning is often conducted by an organization’s IT department or a third-party security service provider.

This vulnerability Scanner is also used by attackers looking for points of access to the network.

Detecting and identifying system flaws in networks, communications devices, and computers is part of the vulnerability scanning process.

In addition to discovering security flaws, vulnerability scanner forecast how effective remedies would be in the event of a threat or attack.

A vulnerability scanning service employs software that operates from the perspective of the person or organization assessing the attack surface in the issue.

A database is used by the vulnerability scanner to compare facts about the target attack surface.

The web scanner database contains references to known weaknesses, code faults, and packet building oddities, default setups, and potential avenues to sensitive data that attackers can exploit.

The website scanner creates a report after the program looks for potential vulnerabilities in any devices within the scope of the engagement.

The report’s results may then be evaluated and interpreted to discover possibilities for a company to enhance its security posture.

Website Vulnerability Scanner Types

1# Network-based scanners

Network vulnerability scanners detect potential network security threats and susceptible systems on wired and wireless networks.

Network-based web scanners detect unfamiliar or illegal devices and systems on a network and assist in determining whether the network has any unknown perimeter points, such as unlawful remote access servers or links to unsecured networks of business partners.

2# Host-based website scanner

A host, as one may know, is a device on a TCP/IP network that connects to other devices and sends and receives data.

This website scanner is capable of providing network connectivity via a user interface, specialist software, and other ways.

The host talks with other hosts via transport layers protocols under the open systems interconnection concept.

The host is a web server that stores and transmits data for businesses that have a website.

If the organization employs cloud hosting, the operation of its website scanner is handled by many servers situated in different places.

3# Database vulnerability testing

Most hostile attackers’ ultimate objective is to get access to the database where all sensitive information is stored.

As a result, the necessity of database security is enormous. Database security entails vulnerability scanners and a number of steps taken to secure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of databases as well as database management systems.

A compromised database may be disastrous for a company since it affects brand value, money, intellectual property, and business continuity.

It may also result in fines and penalties. It is crucial to have a web scanner and vulnerability scanning from time to time.

4# Cloud vulnerability scanner

Cloud vulnerability scanning refers to the process of screening a cloud deployment for common vulnerabilities.

Cloud vulnerability scanning is an important component of a comprehensive cloud security strategy that may be used to monitor, manage, and improve the overall security of cloud infrastructure.

5# Application Vulnerability Assessment

One of the most common methods of vulnerability screening with the help of vulnerability scanner is application vulnerability scanning.

It entails checking online apps and mobile apps for security flaws.

Online and mobile applications are both vulnerability scanners often updated with new features. With each new code update, new vulnerabilities may emerge.

Aside from that, a program requires numerous additional components such as themes and plugins to work successfully. These external vulnerability scanner components may also have exploitable flaws.

Advantages of Using a Website Vulnerability Scanner

1# Find flaws before cyber criminals do.

Many cyber assaults are automated, with hackers searching for and exploiting known flaws with website scanners.

In other words, they aren’t developing a vulnerability or discovering a hidden flaw using their superior hacking talents.

They are merely using web scanner and vulnerability scanners for vulnerabilities in the same manner that anybody with the appropriate website scanner software could.

When organizations utilize the same vulnerability scanner technologies, they may detect and correct flaws before they are exploited by others.

2# Save both time and money.

Automated website scanners are simple to do and will save money in the long run.

This is because vulnerability scanners reduce the chances of a data breach, which may result in a variety of expenses including remediation, customer loss due to reputational harm, and fines.

3# Define the risk level on your systems.

Regular vulnerability scanning will assist businesses in determining the overall efficacy of their security measures.

Unless one is bombarded by vulnerabilities, it’s a warning that the systems or software are seriously defective and should be redesigned.

4# Meet data security standards

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) does not specifically require vulnerability scanning, but it does require organizations that collect personal data to ensure that suitable technical and organizational security measures have been taken, which includes finding vulnerabilities with a web scanner and vulnerability scanner.

The vulnerability scanner is an essential first step for every company looking to establish the best approach to hardening its defenses.

The information and vulnerabilities discovered through website scanners and analysis may be used to fine-tune a penetration test and maximize the return on your security testing expenditure.

If the organization wants to find its vulnerabilities before hackers, it is suggested to get vulnerability scanner solutions like Sucuri Website Security from Exabytes and secure your website.

To find out more about Sucuri Website Security from Exabytes Malaysia experts, contact us now.

What are the 8 Types of DDoS Attacks?

By

Martin Tang

-

December 14, 2022

0

Cyberattacks have also significantly evolved in the last few years. Besides common threats like data theft, viruses, and ransomware, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS attack) cyberattacks focus on vulnerabilities in modern public and private cloud infrastructure and networking protocols. DDoS is a popular method for disrupting services in the hacker community. The primary reason for its enduring popularity is its simplicity. Several studies indicate that many organizations are not well prepared to repel a Denial of Service attack, leaving cloud computing at risk. Read on to learn more about DDoS attacks.

What is a DDoS attack?

A non-intrusive online attack that is made to slow down or even offline the targeted website by flooding a network, server, or application is called a Denial of Service attack. An attack works by overwhelming the target server with a massive number of connections. As a result, real users cannot reach the service, which results in the denial of service. This type of connection flooding is typically done using botnets or an extensive coordinated hacking network, making it ‘Distributed’.

Why Hackers prefer DDoS Attacks?

DDoS attacks are used because they are cost-effective; they can even generate significant profits. As a result, a new generation of hackers is interested in learning about DDoS attacks and taking advantage of them. While DDoS attacks are much simpler than other cyberattacks, it is important to note that they are becoming stronger and more complicated.

Types of DDoS Attacks

Following are three primary categories of DDoS attacks:

Volume-Based Attacks focus on high traffic to impact network bandwidth.
Protocol Attacks exploit server resources.
Application attacks target web applications. These are considered to be the most severe form of DDoS attack.

There are many variants of DDoS attack; several of which we will discuss in detail below.

1. SYN Flood

SYN Floods target the vulnerabilities of the TCP connection sequence. In a typical system, a host machine obtains a synchronized (SYN) message to start the three-way handshake. As a result, the server accepts the message and sends an ACK flag. However, in an SYN flood, fake messages are sent, preventing the connection from closing and, ultimately, taking down the server.

2. UDP Flood

In a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) flood, the random ports on a network or computer are targeted with UDP packets. When the host attempts to open the application listed at a specific port, no application is found. UDP floods are quite common in unprotected enterprise clouds.

3. HTTP Flood

Hackers exploit GET or POST requests to attack a system. HTTP floods can be incredibly costly for a company using bandwidth-limited or pay-per-use private clouds.

4. Ping of Death

Ping of Death manipulates IP protocols by sending malicious pings to a system. This was a popular type of DDoS two decades ago but is less effective today.

5. Smurf Attack

A malware program known as Smurf is used to attack the Internet Protocol (IP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This program can spoof an IP address and use ICMP to ping the IP addresses available on a network.

6. Fraggle Attack

A Fraggle attack is essentially a combination of a Smurf attack and a UDP flood. It involves using a large amount of UDP traffic on a broadcast network. The only significant difference between a Fraggle attack and a Smurf attack is that it uses UDP instead of ICMP.

7. Slowloris

Slowloris is another common type of DDoS attack because it allows cyber attackers to utilize minimum resources to attack and target the web servers. Once Slowloris has managed to connect with the target, it can keep the connection open for a long time using HTTP flooding. The Slowloris is a highly dangerous form of DDoS attack against specific IT systems, including business clouds and private clouds.

8. Application-Level Attacks

Application-level attacks are some of the most dangerous DDoS attacks because they aim to target a specific application with particular vulnerabilities instead of the whole server.

The Bottom Line

There are many other types of DDoS attacks, and they are continually evolving. Hackers and cyber attackers have exploited weaknesses in applications, servers, and systems in many ways. Still, there are some extremely reliable security solutions available as well. Many cloud service providers are now implementing new cloud security practices to protect the business, enterprise, and private clouds from a wide array of cyberattacks, including DDoS attacks. Cyber Security Solution

How to Scan Your Website Security & Remove Malware Effortlessly

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 7, 2022

0

Malware is a continuous tool in a hacker’s armory and that’s why people need to use malware removal tools, as cybercrime expands and advances.

Malware, short for malicious software, is malware designed to harm a website or computer that’s why website security is important.

According to Statista, there were 2.8 billion malware attacks globally in the first half of 2022.

The number of malware website security assaults identified in 2021 was 5.4 billion. The biggest number of malware assaults in recent memory was recorded in 2018 when 10.5 billion such attacks were registered globally.

Website viruses may be used to steal valuable consumer information, hold websites hostage, or even seize complete control of the website. It is crucial to use malware removal software to avoid malware attacks.

Hacker continues trying to hack a business website that’s why it’s important to scan website security regularly to remove malware.

Malware is used by cybercriminals to target both small and big legitimate websites. Poorly secured websites are their favorite target since they are easy to infect. If businesses use website security solutions they might not have to face this situation.

Follow the steps below to learn how to detect and remove malware from your website.

How to Scan Website Security and Remove Malware Effortlessly

What motivates cybercriminals to infiltrate website security?

Websites are infected by cyber criminals:

deface and vandalize websites
for spamming campaigns
for email phishing campaigns
deliver malware like Trojans and spyware
to carry out Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks

How to Scan Website Security for Malware Removal?

In a perfect world, malware removal could happen automatically. It can be a time-consuming operation, especially if one can’t tell the difference between malware and harmless code used by the site.

It’s also simple to overlook malware code – online crooks are crafty and go to considerable pains to conceal it. Unfortunately, one may spend hours searching down to remove malware traces just to have a hidden backdoor rapidly reinject the website’s security.

The greatest solution is to remove malware infection altogether. Check that the site is up to date, and if feasible, enable automatic updates.

Install plugins and themes with caution, and avoid using nulled or pirated software at all costs; it is almost always infected with harmful malware.

Automatic malware removal and identification are less time-consuming than manual malware website security cleanup.

The superb Sucuri Website Security scanner, which one can install through WHM’s Security Center, is supported by cPanel and WHM.

When it detects a potential malware infection, it notifies the user and informs them of its location.

Remote website security examination

To detect dangerous payloads and malware website security, programs that scan the site remotely might be used. Remote website security scanners have limitations, but they can provide speedy results.

As a preliminary step, Sucuri malware removal, SiteCheck can be used.

Scan the website security via the SiteCheck website (sitecheck.sucuri.net). If the site has been infected, examine the warning message for any payloads and locations.

The user may inspect website security and the iFrames, links, scripts, and embedded objects by clicking More Details at the top to discover unfamiliar or suspicious items.

It is recommended that if one has many websites on the same server, one checks them all for website security.

Site files that have recently been updated

If one receives the dreaded 2 a.m. phone call from a customer wondering why their website is acting up, it’s probable that something has just changed and one needs to check website security.

Using terminal commands on the server can help user check recently website security updated files quickly:

1# in your terminal, enter the following command:

$ find /etc. -type f -printf ‘%TY-%Tm-%Td %TT %p\n’ | sort -r .

2# To view directory files, use the following command on your terminal:

$ find /etc. -printf ‘%TY-%Tm-%Td %TT %p\n’ | sort -r .

3# unusual changes in the previous 7-30 days in website security may be suspicious. We’ve even seen spyware go undetected for more than a year.

Examine the Diagnostic Pages

If the website has been blacklisted by Google or other online website security authorities, the security status of the website can be checked using their diagnostic tools.

Transparency Report from Google
The Google Search Console
Webmasters at Bing
Webmaster at Yandex
Examine the database for injected script tags.

Cleaning up a compromised website

There are certain actions you can take on your own to clean up a client’s site for malware removal if you are comfortable.

If you are unfamiliar with website security modifying database tables or website files, please seek the aid of a professional, such as Exabytes. Make a backup before making any substantial changes.

Replacing the core files for your content management system is a straightforward remedy for malware removal that can cure a variety of problems.

If you know how to remove malware, you can replace any files updated by attackers.

How can Sucuri Website Security assist you in protecting your website?

Before hacked websites damage their reputation, Sucuri Repair fixes them and removes malware. It offers services like:

1# Delete any website malware.

It removes malware and any dangerous code from the website’s file system and database for website security. It entirely restores the website.

2# Blocklist Status should be removed.

Website security alerts cause 95% of website visitors to be lost. On your behalf, we file blocklist removal requests.

3# Remove SEO spam.

SEO spam keywords and link injections are detrimental to your website security and the brand. Check that your website appears correctly in search engines.

4# Avoid future attacks.

Attacks are prevented by our website security firewall (WAF), which filters harmful traffic. We prevent hackers and speed up your website.

Conclusion

Regardless of whether you handle website security for your clients or use a third party, it is important to have a plan in place.

Don’t put off thinking about website security until you get a call from a frightened client. Sucuri Website Security, powered by Exabytes, performs daily security scans and malware removal automatically.

Contact us to learn more about Sucuri Website Security.

Contact Us

Related articles:

Reasons Why Website Security is Essential for Your Business

Website Protection & Security: A Practical Guide for Beginners

Disaster Recovery: 5 Key Features and Creating Your DR Plan

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 7, 2022

0

Every organization needs an IT disaster recovery strategy in case things go wrong, which, as we’ve learned, they inevitably will, as the difficulties of recent years have demonstrated.

Planning for disaster recovery is never too early, and IT disaster recovery plans (IT DRPs) are crucial for saving systems.

A startling lack of disaster recovery preparation was shown by the 50% of UK company executives who said their backups were maintained on different systems inside the same workplace.

In the past few months, 41% of businesses either neglected to test their disaster recovery systems or were unable to recall when the last test was conducted.

What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Businesses can respond rapidly to a disaster, take immediate action to lessen the damage, and restore operations as soon as possible with the help of a disaster recovery plan.

The typical components of a disaster recovery strategy are:

When a crisis happens, personnel can use emergency measures for disaster recovery.
Critical IT resources and their maximum permitted downtime
Technologies or equipment that should be applied to computer disaster recovery
An emergency response team, their phone number, and communication protocols

Disaster Recovery: Why Is It Important?

The following advantages can result from creating a disaster recovery strategy:

Reduce disruption: Even if a tragedy strikes entirely out of the blue, the company may still run with little difficulty.
Limit damage: While harm will unavoidably result from a disaster, one may influence how much damage is done. For instance, firms have disaster recovery plans to relocate all important equipment out of the way and into a room without any windows in storm locations.
Training and preparation: Having a disaster recovery plan in place ensures that your personnel are prepared to respond in the event of a crisis. Your team will have a clear plan of action when an event occurs thanks to this preparedness, which will also reduce stress levels.
Services recovery: All mission-critical services may be promptly restored to normal operation with a solid disaster recovery plan. The maximum amount of time one is willing to wait for service to be restored will depend on your recovery time objective (RTO).

5 Key Features of a Disaster Recovery Program

1# Identify Your Threats

Map out the hazards one is most likely to encounter by learning about the past of the company and setting a disaster recovery plan, the industry and the area.

Natural catastrophes, geopolitical occurrences, malfunctions of vital technology like servers, Internet connections, or software, and cyberattacks that are most likely to have an impact on your line of work should all be listed.

Make sure the disaster recovery strategy is effective against all risks, or at the very least the most probable or serious ones.

Create distinct disaster recovery plans or parts within your disaster recovery plan, if appropriate, for various sorts of catastrophes.

2# Know Your Resources

It’s critical to be thorough. With the help of your staff, make a comprehensive inventory of all the assets that are necessary for computer disaster recovery and the company’s ongoing operations with the help of your staff.

This covers network hardware, servers, workstations, software, cloud services, mobile devices, and more in the context of IT. After making your list, group it into:

The firm cannot function without essential resources, such as an email server.
Important resources that can substantially impede some operations, like a presentation projector

3# Establish Disaster Recovery Sites

Having a disaster recovery plan to duplicate data between several disaster recovery sites is a key component of practically any disaster recovery plan.

Although many firms plan regular data backups, the best strategy for disaster recovery is to continually duplicate data to another server.

Cold Storage on-Site – An additional device in your data center.
Local Warm Backup – A backup server or other redundant operational component in your data center.

4# Test backups and service restoration

Backups can fail in a crisis just like business systems do. There are several data loss stories of businesses that installed disaster recovery backup systems but found out too late that the backups weren’t truly operating.

One might not be aware of a setup issue, software bug, or equipment failure that renders the disaster recovery backups unusable unless you test them.

Testing that data is being copied accurately to the destination site is an essential component of any disaster recovery plan.

Testing if it is feasible to restore data to your production site is equally crucial.

5# Building a Disaster Recovery Plan

Before beginning a disaster recovery plan, experts advise that one first identify what needs to be protected, including which data needs to be backed up and which activities need to be replicated off-site.

Calculate your risk: Audit the company’s infrastructure and your requirements since you can’t safeguard what you don’t know. How many servers are there or are needed for operation?

What do you utilize the data for, when, and how much of it do you have? Are your servers exposed to risk? Do you do business in a disaster-prone region?

Set goals: Explain your disaster recovery time target (RTO), which specifies how soon systems should be operational following an event.

Select a strategy and a team: Create a working group to investigate which disaster recovery plan structure will work best for the operations, scope, and resources of your firm.

Execute and update: Disaster recovery planning is not a one-and-done endeavor, like other IT initiatives. New kinks and features may appear as the strategy takes shape, and these will need to be handled.

Monitoring is necessary for disaster recovery in order to remain on top of emerging hazards like cyber threats.

Conclusion

A disaster recovery plan sets tight standards for data backup and recovery in an emergency, and it is critical for every organization to protect itself from the devastating consequences of data loss.

It is recommended to get a disaster recovery plan from your organization before you face any data loss. If you want to get a disaster recovery plan for your organization, Exabytes can help you with Veeam Disaster Recovery as a Service.

To learn more about Veeam Disaster Recovery as a Service from our experts, contact us now.

Contact Us

BaaS vs DRaaS: What are the differences?

Data Backup vs Disaster Recovery Plan: What’s the Difference

Best Strategy: How Can SME Leverage SMS Marketing?

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 7, 2022

0

SMS, or short messaging service, is a less often used word in many modern marketing methods. This is to be expected given the rapid growth of digital marketing in recent years, but SMS marketing is still more impactful than email marketing.

Not every SMS marketing campaign is the same. Some businesses include SMS marketing fully in their whole business plan, while others only see it as a side activity.

75% of customers prefer to get offers by SMS. Compared to other digital channels, offer messages have a 9.18% better CTR rate. When compared to email marketing, the open rate for SMS is 98%.

According to analysts, the e-commerce industry will begin to recognize in 2022 the value of SMS marketing in terms of generating leads and improving conversion rates.

How Can Companies Effectively Use SMS Marketing?

1# Assemble a Team for SMS Marketing

Big SMS marketing initiatives are not do-it-yourself. The business needs a range of competent individuals to get the most out of its digital marketing plan.

The following positions are needed by businesses: an expert in SMS marketing programs, a retail expert, coordinators for on-site signage, digital creative designers, social media experts, a promotions specialist, an ROI, and discount budget analyst, and more.

There may be one or a few persons who play many roles.

The SMS marketing team must work closely together and communicate often about goals, tactics, and execution since these areas need to be integrated and because the bulk SMS timeframe is becoming more and more urgent.

The SMS marketing team’s depth will determine how much you gain from successful bulk SMS marketing tactics.

2# Create Simple Bulk SMS

Businesses have 160 characters to make a point; use them wisely. If one can, complete it faster. Make sure the writing for SMS marketing is simple English and the message is clear and succinct. Do not use emojis, acronyms, or all capitals.

Use closed messages only. A bulk SMS that welcomes customers to a sale but doesn’t specify when it will end is an illustration of an open-ended message.

Whether it is for a day or a month is unknown to the customer.

Customers are more likely to take action if one specifies a deadline for a sale or includes an expiration date on a coupon since businesses provide them with sufficient information and motivation via SMS marketing.

3# Make Good Use of Call-to-action Buttons

The call-to-action (or CTA) of your SMS marketing campaign is another, and possibly the most important, aspect of its success.

The clients are given something to do through the call to action. If the information in your SMS marketing piques their attention, that is the action they ought to perform next.

This can be done by following a link to a business website, completing a form, participating in a poll, or entering a contest.

For customized offerings, one may also incorporate promotional bulk SMS codes.

Make sure the CTA is brief and simple to understand, much like the text. Here are some excellent instances of SMS marketing using:

Buy Now!
Text to win.
Show this text to get 50% off.
New shoes 20% off.
Don’t miss out!

4# Correct Your Timing

Everything about SMS marketing is instant. The average time it takes for someone to open a message is three minutes.

The best customer reactions to bargains, promotions, and events advertised by SMS marketing are impulsive last-minute purchases.

Send the notification on Friday afternoon if the shop opening is on Friday night. Send a bulk SMS towards the end of the workday, not in the morning, if one has a dinner promotion at the restaurant.

Sending an SMS blast in Malaysia too early in the morning or too late at night might put one on shaky ground.

The acceptable SMS marketing time range is from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

5# Combine SMS Marketing With Other Forms of Advertising.

When developing an SMS marketing plan for a sale or an event, having an omnichannel strategy is usually beneficial.

If the communications are presented to your customers across a variety of channels like bulk SMS, there is a greater likelihood that they will progress through the sales funnel.

Cross-channeling can also aid in building strong brand recognition. Customers are more likely to take action through one of those platforms when they interact with the content across many platforms, like SMS marketing.

6# Concentrate on Your Top Clients

Businesses’ greatest customers are the ones that stick with them, make repeat purchases, provide feedback, and spread the word about the business to their social networks.

Finding this group of consumers (influencers) and investing more time and money in them is a wise approach.

Utilize their familiarity with the brand to businesses’ advantage by sending them all bulk SMS with more in-depth polling questions than businesses do for their regular customers.

They are also a VIP for the business, one can run a personalized SMS marketing campaign for them.

7# Take Advantage of Bulk SMS Services to Boost Sales

Businesses cannot send individual messages to customers, so using a bulk SMS service to boost sales is the best SMS blast Malaysia option.

Promotional bulk SMS is delivered sometimes on special days or during impending special events to stimulate and engage the clients with bulk SMS services one can send bulk SMS to their clients.

Businesses can obtain bulk SMS services from Exabytes to run SMS marketing smoothly SMS blast.

Keeping the customer at the center of your SMS strategy is essential for effective SMS marketing.

Whether you decide to use SMS marketing to greet new subscribers, send personalized birthday messages, or provide promotional deals, bulk SMS can be a powerful tool for a company.

Exabytes Bulk SMS Marketing Solution may help you connect with your customers to SMS blast Malaysia and achieve your objectives by boosting sales.

To find out more about Bulk SMS Marketing Solution, contact us now.

Related articles:

SMS Marketing Trends and Predictions You Must Follow

Have No Doubt SMS marketing Can Drive Sales with Lowest Cost

What Are SSL, TLS and HTTPS? Website Security Basics

By

Xiao Hui

-

December 7, 2022

0

Due to an increasing number of cybersecurity threats on a global scale and Google’s increasingly strict security criteria following SSL certification, it is more important than ever for companies to take proactive measures to safeguard their websites using SSL certificates.

While there is still hope, one may demonstrate to people with SSL certification that they can trust businesses by providing them with a safe, encrypted experience using something called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).

To utilize HTTPS, one must first get a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate, which verifies the security of the website.

According to the most recent statistics, over half of websites use the more sophisticated HTTPS/2 protocol, which is used by about 95% of websites.

The majority of businesses utilize SSL certificates, and the majority of nations in the world claim that over 90% of website traffic is encrypted.

What exactly are SSL/TLS and HTTPS?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Encrypted communication between a website and a web browser is a sort of digital security. TLS has completely superseded the technology, which is now deprecated.

TLS, which stands for Transport Layer Security, protects data privacy in the same manner as SSL does.

Because SSL is no longer in use, this is the right phrase that people should begin using.

To enable SSL/TLS, one must first put a certificate on the site. This will reassure visitors that the website is secure.

In practice, the site will establish connections via the HTTPS protocol. This is the secure version of the regular HTTP protocol.

Why is an SSL/TLS Certificate Required for Any Website?

Having an SSL/TLS certificate (and hence offering an HTTPS connection) is crucial to the security of the website.

It ensures that no one can intercept or access the data flow between the server and the browsers of the visitors (also known as man-in-the-middle attacks).

These aren’t the only kinds of assaults. A vulnerability in mitmproxy, an open-source HTTPS proxy, was discovered earlier, allowing HTTP request smuggling attacks.

Using the HTTPS protocol is crucial in light of the numerous security issues that exist online. In actuality, Google Chrome started classifying HTTP sites as “not secure” in July 2018.

Losing Google’s confidence in not having an SSL certificate might have serious consequences for the search rankings. Not having SSL might also make visitors suspicious of business websites.

After all, if their browser tells them that the site may be unsafe, businesses are more likely to lose visitors.

Google began altering its algorithm in 2014 to favor sites that have SSL certificates. Today, it is emphasizing them even more, claiming that those with SSL/TLS certificates will outrank those without, even when all other variables are equal.

Installing an SSL/TLS certificate is crucial if one operates in a sector where certain standards must be met. In the financial business, for example, meeting payment information security criteria is necessary.

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) establishes criteria for having SSL/TSL that websites must follow in order to take credit card information safely on their websites.

How to Verify If One’s Website Is Using SSL/TLS

It is critical that the website employs an SSL or TLS certificate. It must also be constantly monitored to ensure that it has not expired.

According to a Keyfactor survey, 81% of businesses experienced SSL/TLS certificate-related outage in the last two years.

If the SSL/TLS certificate expires suddenly, the website without HTTPS may be jeopardized. Outages can take hours to repair, and prolonged downtime can be detrimental to your organization.

It is quite simple to determine whether one has a valid SSL/TLS certificate. To begin, use Google Chrome or another browser and navigate to the website.

Then, look at the top of the browser’s address bar to determine if the site utilizes http:// or https://.

Is SSL/TLS Important for SEO?

It certainly does. Google changed its algorithm in 2014 to prefer websites that employed an SSL certificate, and they’ve continued to prioritize SSL certificates ever since.

Google has said openly that if all other factors are equal, sites with SSL statistics will outrank those without, and while secure sites account for just 1% of results, 40% of inquiries result in at least one SSL-secured site on the first page.

How to Implement SSL/TLS on Your Website

It might be challenging to add an SSL/TLS certificate to the website, thus only a web professional should do it. You’ll be able to tell if you fit in or not.

Before installing the ACME client, the first step is to enable SSH access. At this point, you may produce your SSL/TLS certificate and install it through the admin section of your web server.

If you’re looking for an SSL/TLS certificate supplier, Exabytes is the place to go. Once the certificate is available, you may require HTTPS by copying the following code into your .htaccess file.

Where Can One Purchase an SSL/TLS Certificate for Your Website?

Once a website user is aware that an SSL/TLS certificate is required. They may obtain it quickly from a source like Exabytes.

There are different types of SSL/TLS certificates available one should consult the experts and get the SSL/TLS certificates that suit you.

Furthermore, some hosting companies give them free bonuses as part of their premium hosting plans.

Conclusion

Keeping the company website safe with SSL/TLS is an ongoing concern, but it’s also critical to ensure that with HTTPS your users feel they can rely on the business.

One may safeguard businesses and users by adding an SSL/TLS certificate to the website and mandating secure connections through HTTPS. This ensures that everyone knows that site is safe to use.

The advantages of SSL/TLS certificates come in a variety of types. Exabytes makes it easy to find an SSL certificate that complies with the standards.

Businesses can get SSL certificate for their websites as low as RM13.25/month.

To learn more, contact an Exabytes Malaysia specialist and get a SSL certificate installed on your website.

Buy SSL Certificate

Related articles:

3 Types of SSL Certificate You Need To Know

Basic Facts About SSL Certificates for a Website