How to Arm Yourself Against the Latest Cybersecurity Threats
As hackers think up ever more ingenious ways to attack computer systems and user accounts, having reliable protection in place becomes ever more critical to ensure your business is safe from cybersecurity threats.
According to statistics, a hacker attacks every 39 seconds, with one in three Americans affected by breaches every year. Data breaches are, far and away, the most common type of cyberterrorism and the scary thing is that it takes many companies half a year to detect that they’ve been breached.
And hackers are not just targeting large corporations. Small businesses are under attack more than ever now that 61% of companies reportedly targeted by hackers are staffed with less than a thousand employees.
To keep your data protected, the best defense is prevention. And that means getting control of your data and using best practices to keep it safe.
Cybersecurity Threat Prevention – Best Practices
There are several simple things a business can do to control access to data, many of which are overlooked in everyday business practices. Here are some of the top things your business can do to stay protected:
Update Your Hardware and Software
When that software update comes out, upload it immediately. Software updates often provide fixes for vulnerabilities that give hackers the upper hand. And hardware is no different — as soon as a patch is available, your IT team should incorporate it into your system.
And yet, 39% of businesses report doing a scan for vulnerabilities — like out-of-date hard- or software — less than monthly.
Use Strong Passwords — Only Once
Phishing — using emails from seemingly reputable sources to get targets to reveal passwords and personal information — is on the rise.
And, hackers know that many people reuse passwords over and over across many accounts, so if they can get just one password, they may have access to multiple accounts.
You can create passwords using a password manager app that will generate and store the strongest passwords. If you don’t want to do that, here are some simple password rules:
- Use a minimum of 12 characters
- Include numbers, capital and lower-case letters, and symbols
- Don’t use a word or combination of words from the dictionary
- Don’t use obvious substitutions for words, such as h0us3
Also, control access to computers using keycards and an administrative privilege system.
Back Up Data
Data should be backed up at least once per day to protect against data loss and ransomware threats. A solution that allows instant recovery of lost data should be chosen to reduce the impact of downtime in the case of an attack.
Educate Employees and Provide Policies
Cybersecurity threats are continually evolving, so your company needs a two-pronged approach of straightforward security policies coupled with regular employee training sessions to keep abreast of changes.
Training should include threat examples, what to do in case a threat is perceived or detected, and a review of your company’s security best practices and policies.
The Risks of An Exposed System
A poorly protected system leaves your business exposed to multiple cybersecurity threats from many sides, including malware, ransomware, DDOS, and brute force attacks.
A rise in the use of ransomware is particularly troubling, with 54% of businesses experiencing two attacks in one year. During these attacks, 46% of their devices were taken offline for an average impact of $133,000.
If you’re in an industry that uses blockchain technology such as healthcare, financial, or supply chain businesses, you are at a unique risk of being compromised as hackers target weak encryption, key management, and hashing. This can lead to fraudulent transactions and unauthorized access to — and diversion of — funds, as well as other issues.
Prevent & Manage Cybersecurity Threats
If you’re a business in any one of our locations that is ready to deploy the most cutting-edge IT security protocols to protect your data, Kelley Connect has the right team of experts standing by to assist.
Our managed cybersecurity services professionals can help your business configure the perfect combination of cybersecurity technology, applications, and procedures to protect you and your customers from hackers and other security pitfalls.
If you need the kind of security only experts in the industry can offer, talk to a Kelley Connect consultant today and find out how easy it is to get protected today.