Security for your business is paramount to your future success. While many businesses do their best to keep their physical store and office secure, many forget about their digital security. If they do have digital security measures in place, these usually begin and end with an anti-virus subscription. Though anti-virus and anti-malware are a good precaution to take, they aren’t enough.
From an improved IT focus on to training all of your employees, here are the top tactics to keep your business safe:
Train Your Employees to Recognize Phishing Attacks.
The first step to protecting your business is to prevent attacks from happening in the first place. While this is not a foolproof step, educating and training your employees can reduce the number of threats significantly. This is especially important considering viruses that are downloaded at home can be uploaded inadvertently to your system through the cloud.
That is why you should hold training sessions and even bring in specialists to help you train all of your employees how to recognize phishing attacks and malware attacks at the source. The more they know, the better they can protect themselves and you.
Have Software to Help You Detect Fraudulent Sites.
There are extensions for all browsers that are aimed at checking the credibility of the site in question. These checks offer an extra level of security and means of checking the credibility of a site before you visit it. For instance, a phishing attack could include a website that mirrors the official site, with the only difference being a small difference in the URL you might not have noticed.
These extensions are user-verified, and as such aren’t full-proof. They are, however, another way to check for the credibility of a site. If you see a poor rating on a site like Apple, you can know that it isn’t the official site.
Have Unique Passwords.
Phishing attacks attempt to extract your login information. If you have unique passwords for every single account and login you can minimize the damage significantly. That’s because the hackers will only have the login for one account, and will not be able to go through and access anything else. You can then reset your account and log everyone else out with ease and peace of mind that the attack has not gone further.
Keeping track of all the passwords required to pull this off, however, isn’t feasible for any one person. That is why you should instead read more about the best password manager for your business. With a password manager, you can use strong passwords that are hard to hack and an encrypted system so that your passwords are kept safe.
Encrypt Your Data.
If your data is encrypted, it means that, unless accessed with a password (again, a unique password) a hacker won’t be able to access any of your data. This can help when it comes to APTs or advanced persistent threats. These threats come in the form of Trojan viruses and typically are created to steal your intellectual property. They can still cause a lot of damage, but if your data is encrypted the data stolen will be rendered useless.
Have Cloud Computing Security.
Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular; however, the security can be called into question. There are additional third-party software options available to help you add an extra layer of security to your cloud computing to ensure your data is protected.
Patch Your Software.
When hackers gain access to your system, it is likely because they have gone through a program that has sub-standard security. One example of a program that often acts as a weak spot in digital security systems is Adobe Cloud. These loopholes can be costly, but thankfully, either setting your IT team to work on perfecting these software patches or hiring another company to either perfect or at least better secure your system can go a long way to keeping your system safe.
Keep a Backup.
If you can, it is always best to keep an offline backup of your data. In fact, you should have a few in different locations. This redundant system will help protect your most valuable asset from both hacking and physical dangers. Where you backup your data will differ depending on the size of your company. Small companies might be able to get away with a few TB sized hard drives, whereas large companies will need entire servers dedicated to backing up their data.
Have one copy on-premise and one or more at a separate location. This could be in a secure storage facility, in your home, or in another office. The more redundant your data, the more secure you will be from any kind of threat.
What Happens if You Don’t Secure Your Data?
Not training your employees and using a myriad of methods to protect your systems is a huge mistake. Ransomware is the most common form of malware, and it can not only threaten your business it can end up costing you thousands. This ransomware will infect your computers and hold your data hostage. The hacker will then demand a ransom or else delete your data.
The same applies to more common phishing attacks like scam emails aiming to get your login details or, more dangerously, emails that convince you to download a Trojan virus. Hackers can steal your data and sell it, which can lead to a variety of problems. If they steal your customer data and sell their login info, you have a huge PR scandal on your hands that can completely ruin your customer’s trust in you. If they steal your intellectual property, then your business could become defunct.
You should never underestimate the damage that a data hack can cause, which is why you should use many tactics together in order to protect yourself. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are data experts out there that can help you find your businesses weak spots and can advise you on the steps you need to take to become secure. Do this before you experience a breach, and you’ll better protect your business.
