Cyber Intelligence: Why it Is a Big Deal for the Events Industry

As the world progresses with technological advancement, cybersecurity issues also increase. Even the events industry has been a target of cybersecurity attacks. Businesses in this industry store a huge amount of customer data, which makes them more susceptible to said attacks.

As an event professional, it’s your job to safeguard all important data of your clients. Not only that, but you also need to ensure their safety during events. That’s where cyber intelligence comes in. This article will elaborate more on the importance of cyber intelligence in the events industry.

Cybersecurity Threats in the Events Industry

Cybercriminals are on the lookout for opportunities to hack into event platforms, and, it just so happens that hacking these platforms is easy to carry out if you are not properly protected.  Even people without extensive knowledge of cybersecurity could infiltrate events and steal important data. 

Some of these data include:

• Payment information
• Account credentials
• Intellectual property

Personally identifiable information (PII)

Some of the most common cybersecurity threats in the events industry include:

• Phishing – This is when a hacker deceives your clients into thinking that they have entered your event’s website. Once they are in, the fake website may ask for some of their sensitive data like PII to log into the website. This is usually how they get your customers’ information.
• Malware – Also known as malicious software, hackers can steal data from you when you download a program that contains malware. Again, they can ask for sensitive data like bank account information or social security number to make the program work.
• Cyber impersonation – Hackers will attempt to impersonate an official attendee and access your virtual event to gain valuable information. Since an event is happening virtually, it’s hard to verify if the attendee is legitimate. The hacker can input the correct information to enter the event, and they will seem as legitimate as any other regular attendee.

Online event platforms have built-in cybersecurity measures to protect yourselves and the data you store

Steps To Take For Personal Protection

To prevent attacks from happening, you need to add extra protection, such as firewalls and proxies, to help you safeguard your information. Firewalls protect you by filtering traffic and preventing outsiders from accessing your private information.

On the other hand, proxies act as an intermediary between you and the website you’re trying to access. This way, you can browse the web anonymously, preventing attackers from targeting you. Blazing SEO residential proxy, a trusted proxy provider in any industry, helps in putting up reliable cyber security measures in place. 

Your IP address is an important part of browsing the internet. It’s how websites know that you’re not a robot trying to access their content. However, it also shows your location and your device information to hackers.

Proxy providers offer servers that function the same as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) By using proxies, you can hide personal information from hackers. The server will replace your IP address with one that is fake so you can enjoy safe browsing on the internet. More importantly, you won’t have to compromise your clients’ data in your system.

Why Is Cybersecurity Important for the Events Industry?

Failure to safeguard your clients’ important data can lead to tremendous losses for your company. For one, your clients will lose their trust in you. More importantly, potential customers’ interest decreases because of the bad word that the breach has brought.

Benefits of Cyber Protection in the Events Industry

Protects Customer Data

Collecting customer data such as contact information is a part of your marketing strategy. How else are you going to keep in touch with them to let them know of your future events? Not only that but event planners also gather information to make their event experience better.

Helps You Identify Threats Right Away

The best way to counter cybersecurity threats is to find a way to prevent them. And what better way to prevent such things than to identify cyber threats immediately.

With a cyber intelligence system in place, you can keep track of what’s going on both within and outside your network. This helps detect suspicious behavior before it can even infiltrate your system.

Not only that but it can also be a source of insight to plan for your next cybersecurity measure. 

Helps You Save Money

According to Statista, companies, in general, spend as much as $4.24 million for the damages that data breach has caused. The same amount of money can be invested in more important matters when you have preventive measures.

And, the cost is not just about replacing an infected device. There are also lawsuits to deal with since your clients’ sensitive information is what was compromised. It will take a long time to recover the losses and build trust with a new client base.

Prevents Your Website From Being Shut Down

Your website is an important part of marketing your event services. It’s where you keep your portfolios for potential clients to see and review. Without it, people can’t transact with you or know of your existence. Having your website shut down frequently because of malware infections can make you lose business opportunities and marketing abilities. 

Cyber intelligence prevents hackers from penetrating through your network to infect your system. This, in turn, helps prevent your website from slowing down and getting infected, along with maintaining steady business and marketing opportunities!

Data breaches can happen to any industry that deals with huge amounts of customer data. The only way to prevent them from happening is if you put cybersecurity at the top of your priority. If not, then you’re putting your reputation, revenue, and event at risk.

However, cybersecurity isn’t a one-time deal. You need to allocate enough budget and invest time into cyber intelligence systems. It may seem expensive at first, however, it still beats having to pay for data breach damages and a ruined reputation.