There are many types of potential digital threats. One type of potential digital threat is malware. It is software that executes malicious tasks on target devices and networks. Another type of potential digital threat is Phishing. Phishing is when a message recipient is tricked into giving out critical information or downloading malware caused by clicking suspicious links in a message. Another type of potential digital threat is Spear Phishing. This differs from regular phishing in that someone may impersonate a family member or other trusted person over the phone or through email. Another digital threat is a “man in the middle” attack. The attacker intercepts message between the sender and receiver and changes things between, confusing the communication between the two. A final type of potential digital threat is a Trojan. It is a type of malware that enters a system looking like a normal program or download, but inserts viruses instead of normal programming. 

One digital function the company may have is drop shipping. Drop shipping is where a company does not hold any products, but instead outsources them to another company for production and takes a portion of sales as profit. This could be exploited or manipulated by intercepting orders and changing shipping addresses, or hacking into the sale and stealing the profit. Another digital function the company may have is the main website. This is where consumers go to view products and purchase them. One way this could be compromised is if someone who received a product asks for a refund and what they ordered is correct and has no issues in any way. Another way it could be compromised is if a hacker attempts to hack into the website and steals customers’ information.  Another service the company could have is advertising and marketing. The company may buy advertisement space through google or any other advertiser to have digital ads on another website. This could be compromised by a hacker either erasing the advertisements or replacing them with something malicious. They could also make the links that a consumer accesses by clicking the ads redirect to a virus infested website, as well as false links that can steal the information that a consumer would submit. The next potential service the company could have would be SEO or search engine optimization. This is where a website uses keywords to be prioritized on search engines like google or a website that hosts products like Amazon. This could be compromised or hacked by changing the keywords used by a website, or making the links on the search engine lead to an incorrect phishing or malware website. The last service a company may use is Social Media. Social Media is used for marketing as well as interaction and gathering feedback with consumers. There are a copious amount of ways Social media could be hacked. A hacker could steal the login information of the social media account the company uses. There could also be fake users that leave bad or good reviews that skew the ratings of a company or product. A hacker could pose as a representative of the company and steal information from consumers, or harass potential consumers and create a bad reputation for the company they claim to represent.  These are just a few of the services that a company may use. 

What Are Cyber Threats and What to Do About Them. (2020, July 28). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://preyproject.com/blog/en/what-are-cyber-threats-how-they-affect-you-what-to-do-about-them/

There are several things a company may incorporate to keep their digital space safe, secure, and reliable. A security network for any computer the company uses would keep them safe from malware and other malicious software that may potentially infect and compromise company data. Another resource to use would be disclaimers on websites and social media that keep the company from being liable for any false representation that may occur, or claims that a falsely-dissatisfied customer would create to give the company a bad reputation.  A third resource a company should incorporate to keep their and their customers’ data safe would be to keep in contact with any advertising service, website hosting service, or social media service to make sure that their security is up to date and working well, to keep the company’s data and information safe and secure. These are just a few ways that will keep the company’s data safe from potential hackers and malicious people or programs. 

Catia.elias, & Catia.elias. (2020, October 28). 4 cybersecurity threats and how to avoid them in 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from http://blog.getcomplied.com/4-cybersecurity-threats-and-how-to-avoid-them-in-2020/