SafePhone6 Security Holes Every Company Has and How to Prevent Them
A data breach can cost a business millions of dollars, in any industry. Most incidents don't come from sophisticated attack techniques but from very familiar security holes in companies: unpatched software, cracked software, phishing emails, or loose access controls. This article reviews the 6 most common sources of vulnerabilities and how to close each one.
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Why is it hard for companies to spot their own security holes?
Leaked data might be customer information, or it might be employees' login credentials for internal systems. Whatever the data, vulnerability review is always a critical task for every company. The difficulty is that security vulnerabilities are a highly specialized field, and business owners and their teams usually lack the expertise to recognize them.
The good news: pinpointing the exact vulnerability is hard, but shutting down the sources that create vulnerabilities is much easier. The six sources below show up in almost every company — from small businesses to large corporations. For a broader view of threats, see also common online threats.
1. Outdated software
Every business uses software to automate and streamline its work: Chrome, Word, Excel, Photoshop, PDF readers, and many industry-specific tools. This software is made by many different developers, not all of whom have security expertise, so new features can contain vulnerabilities their own authors don't know about.
Developers constantly release new versions, and many updates include vulnerability patches. But most of us tend to stick with the version we have, put off upgrading, or don't know a new version exists. As a result, computers accumulate old, unpatched vulnerabilities. Information about old vulnerabilities — along with tools to exploit them — is bought and sold on dark web marketplaces, turning unpatched software into a gateway for hackers.
How to prevent it
- Turn on automatic updates for browsers, the Office suite, PDF readers, and the operating system.
- Keep an inventory of the software used in the company; uninstall anything no longer needed.
- Apply patches that developers mark as security or critical updates right away.
2. Unsupported Windows versions
Older Windows versions such as Windows XP, Windows 7, or out-of-support Windows Server editions are prime targets for hackers. Windows is essentially a collection of system software; once Microsoft ends support, newly discovered vulnerabilities no longer get patched. Knowing that people are reluctant to upgrade, many attack campaigns have broken into machines still running old operating systems through a variety of vulnerabilities.
The consequences can include data loss, ransomware encryption, remote surveillance, or privacy violations. Note that Windows 10 also reached the end of standard support in October 2025, so machines running Windows 10 need an upgrade plan or enrollment in Microsoft's Extended Security Updates program.
How to prevent it
- Inventory your computers and servers; prioritize upgrading machines that are out of support.
- Machines that must keep an old operating system (for example, to control specialized equipment) should be isolated from the main network and not used for browsing or email.
- Always download applications from reputable sources.
3. Cracked software
Cracked software is often injected with malware or backdoors to take control of the computer. Many people like free software and are used to searching online for cracks, but there's no way to know who's behind a crack or whether they added anything besides the license bypass. Many breaches trace back to cracks containing viruses or backdoors.
On top of that, cracks are usually old versions that can't be updated — so the business carries both risks: preinstalled malware and unpatched vulnerabilities. Learn more about the types of malware that often come bundled with pirated software.
How to prevent it
- Pay for licenses so you run the latest version with security updates.
- Consider reputable free and open-source software instead of cracks (for example, LibreOffice instead of Office).
- Don't give employees admin rights on work computers, to limit self-installed software.
4. In-house websites and systems
Almost every company has its own website, and many have an IT team that builds the website and internal management systems in-house. Just like third-party software, the IT team may or may not have security experience, so systems the company invests in itself can harbor vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities often lie beyond what a typical IT team knows about: in the server operating system, in the programming libraries used, or in the system design itself.
How to prevent it
- Give the IT team room to keep learning and stay up to date on security (for example, the OWASP Top 10 list of common web application flaws).
- Regularly update the libraries, plugins, and CMS your website uses.
- When it's urgent, or before launching a critical system, hire a professional penetration testing (pentest) team to review it — it isn't cheap, but it usually costs far less than the damage from an attack.
5. Phishing emails targeting employees
Phishing emails are the most common way to steal business accounts. Attackers don't need much hacking skill to be highly effective, because they exploit human psychology and users' limited tech knowledge. Common tactics:
- Posing as a bank, a government agency, or a well-known company to trick recipients into signing in on a fake page or handing over an OTP code — which lets the hacker take over the account.
- Impersonating popular software to lure readers into installing an “update” that's actually malware; the malware steals data or drains funds if it captures banking credentials.
- Posing as a partner or customer and sending an “invoice” or “contract” with a malicious link or attachment.
Every business has customer service, accounting, and admin staff — people who receive lots of external email and often have limited tech experience. Phishing awareness training is necessary but not enough, because scams keep getting more sophisticated (see high-tech scams). Combine it with technical tools:
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for email and critical systems, so a leaked password alone isn't enough to sign in.
- Turn on the anti-spam/anti-phishing filters in your business email service.
- Equip employees with an app that checks links before opening them on their phones — where employees often read email with less caution than on a computer.
How does SafePhone help fight phishing?
SafePhone is an app focused on fighting scams on Android phones. When set as the default browser, SafePhone checks the links employees tap in emails, messages, or other apps and blocks scam websites on its blacklist before they open. SafePhone doesn't scan mailbox contents — the protection kicks in at the moment an employee taps a link.
SafePhone can also send notifications to a Slack channel when a user taps a suspicious link — see the guides get alerts when a family member taps a suspicious link and create a Slack channel for alerts. For businesses, this helps the IT team see which dangerous links are targeting employees and detect phishing campaigns early. If you roll this out, inform employees clearly and install it only on work phones or with the employee's consent, to respect their privacy. See also our list of security apps for office workers.
6. Weak operating processes and access controls
Internal processes without proper controls make it easy for hackers or insiders to get in and steal valuable information. Authorities in many countries have warned about hacker groups that place their own people as IT staff (often working remotely) at foreign companies, to earn money and open a path for access from the inside. Companies with lax hiring, loose oversight, and arbitrary permission assignments are highly vulnerable to insider attacks.
Large multinational companies are the most exposed because of their headcount and the difficulty of oversight. But small and mid-sized companies aren't immune either — for example, to the risk of data being leaked to competitors.
How to prevent it
- Least privilege: give employees only the access they need for their work, and only for a limited time, so no one has deep access to the system for long periods.
- Revoke accounts and access immediately when an employee leaves or changes departments.
- Regularly review the list of accounts, especially admin and shared accounts.
- Verify identity thoroughly when hiring remote staff who will have system access.
Company security checklist: the 6 holes at a glance
| Security hole | Main risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Outdated software | Hackers exploit old, publicly known vulnerabilities | Turn on automatic updates, inventory software |
| Unsupported Windows | No more patches, vulnerable to ransomware | Upgrade or isolate old machines |
| Cracked software | Preinstalled malware and backdoors | Buy licenses or use open-source software |
| In-house websites | Design flaws, outdated libraries | Train the IT team, update libraries, pentest |
| Phishing emails | Account takeover, malware installs | Training, 2FA, link-checking tools |
| Processes and access control | Insider threats, privilege abuse | Time-limited least privilege, prompt access revocation |
In addition, back up important data regularly and keep at least one backup disconnected from the company network — this is the most effective way to recover from ransomware. Remind employees about the habits that expose your personal data, since a compromised personal account can also become a springboard for attacking work accounts.
What should a company do if it suspects a breach?
- Isolate the computer or account you suspect has been compromised: disconnect it from the network, but don't delete data yet so evidence is preserved for the investigation.
- Change the passwords of related accounts from a clean device, sign out all sessions, and turn on 2FA if it isn't already on.
- Determine the scope: what data, and whose (customers, employees), may have been accessed.
- Notify leadership and the legal department; if personal data was exposed, fulfill the notification obligations under the personal data protection laws that apply to your business.
- Bring in experts for incident response if you lack the in-house capability, and learn from the incident to close the exploited hole.
Conclusion
Prevention is better than cure! Identifying and fixing security holes in your company from the start — updating software, dropping cracked software, training employees against phishing, and tightening access controls — is the lowest-cost way to protect your business's data, finances, and reputation.
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FAQ
What are the most common security holes in companies?
The most common sources of vulnerabilities are software and operating systems that aren't updated, cracked software containing malware, in-house websites without proper testing, phishing emails targeting employees, and loose access control processes.
Why shouldn't companies use cracked software?
Cracks can be injected with malware or backdoors, and they're usually old versions that can't receive security patches. The company carries both the malware risk and a backlog of unpatched vulnerabilities, not to mention the legal risk of copyright infringement.
Do small businesses need penetration testing?
It isn't required for every business, but it's worth considering before launching a critical system or when you store a lot of customer data. Before that, cheaper steps like updating software, enabling 2FA, and applying least-privilege access already eliminate most of the risk.
How can I reduce the risk of employees clicking phishing links?
Combine phishing awareness training, two-factor authentication for email, email filtering, and a link-checking app on phones such as SafePhone that blocks known scam websites before they open.