It was General Sun Tzu who first said, “know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss.” Unfortunately, as our businesses become ever more dependent on the digital economy a new type of enemy has emerged – cybercriminals. Described by the news outlet CNBC as a pandemic, global cybercrime is estimated to have cost businesses around $600 B in 2017. In keeping with the general’s advice this article will help you prepare for “battle” by giving you an overview of the ten most common tactics used by cybercriminals today; and end with some advice on how to deal with these attacks.

Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” That was the spirit with which, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the federal government introduced its new vision for building national resilience against disasters. The report, The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned, proposed the creation of an ambitious “culture of preparedness,” or a commitment by the public and private sectors, communities and individuals to maintain a state of readiness.[i] Sadly, more than a decade later, the vision remains unrealized.