With the many opportunities the Internet has opened up also comes the risk of cyberattacks. Attackers are on the prowl, trying to steal your money or data, or even disrupt your business. It’s time to fight back, because most of these cyberattacks can be prevented or detected with basic security practices. Being diligent about cybersecurity at work as well as at home can go a long way toward effective cyber resilience.
Read your antivirus software provider’s newsletters to learn about current online threats, or visit the provider’s blog for more information and analysis on cybercrime trends. A successful cyberattack can result in significant data loss and theft of property, employee and customer information. Hackers have an arsenal of digital weapons, including malware, Trojans, botnets and distributed denial-of-service attacks, to disrupt business operations. The best antivirus software can help ward off some of these threats, but you still need to take extra precautions to protect your business.
Updating your software on a daily basis will help you eliminate software vulnerabilities that the developer tries to fix with each new update. The shift to remote work triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has left many non-tech-savvy workers exposed to online threats, leaving companies vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hybrid working, a combination of office and home-based work, also poses risks, such as when employees connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks to get work done. Plus, outsourcing allows you to focus on your core business, knowing that the experts are up to date on current cyber risks and providing a layered protection for your business. The most important thing to remember when using antivirus software is that it’s always up to date and the protection settings are set to the maximum.
Cybersecurity is the state or process of protecting and recovering computer systems, networks, devices, and software from any type of cyberattack. It must implement enterprise-wide security policies that help reduce the likelihood of an attack. It can enforce practices that insist on creating strong passwords and changing them frequently. The organization should also test its processes, procedures and people regularly. You should also ensure that your organization’s security strategy is up to date and appropriate for the business and its risks.
Make sure you outline how situations will be handled and what the consequences will be if an employee violates policy. Prevent unauthorized users from accessing incident response training company computers and mobile devices. Laptops and cell phones are easy targets for cyber theft because they can be easily misplaced or quickly stolen.
The first part of a cybersecurity policy typically describes the overall security expectations, roles and responsibilities in the organization. Stakeholders include external consultants, IT personnel, financial professionals, etc. This is the “Roles and Responsibilities” or “Information Responsibility and Accountability” section of the policy. Another very basic, but essential step to protecting your organization from cyberattacks is to train your employees. You should conduct annual or semi-annual security practices training to ensure your employees understand acceptable security practices, user security policies, and breach prevention tips.
Knowing where and how to expect attacks can also help you take preventative measures to protect your systems. However, security should be a concern for every employee in an organization, not just IT professionals and executives. An effective way to educate employees about the importance of security is to have a cybersecurity policy that explains everyone’s responsibility to protect IT systems and data. A cybersecurity policy establishes rules of conduct for activities such as encrypting email attachments and restrictions on the use of social networking sites. With the increasing variety of threats such as malware and ransomware arriving via spam and phishing attacks, advanced threat defense requires an integrated, layered approach to security. This can include intrusion threat detection and mitigation tools, advanced malware protection and additional endpoint security threat protection.
Adequate insurance coverage will protect you from losses caused by cyber risks and can usually include liability protection. Such protection helps you bear the costs resulting from a data breach, when affected customers hold you responsible for the compromised information and expect compensation for losses suffered as a result of the breach. Endpoint protection includes securing all user devices connected to the corporate network, such as laptops, tablets, printers, servers, smartwatches, and cell phones. Endpoint protection platforms can remotely update and manage individual devices, detect online threats and login attempts, and encrypt data to prevent unauthorized access. While cyberattacks and threats are a constant battle, they can be prevented by knowing the different types of protocols, exploits, tools and resources malicious actors use.
Customers, partners, shareholders and potential employees want proof that the company can protect their sensitive data. Without a cybersecurity policy, an organization may not be able to provide that proof. Technology is rapidly evolving in a world dominated by social networks, online transactions, cloud computing and automated processes. Based on the results of the analysis, the article presents countermeasures that companies can take to ensure greater security to protect their business from attackers from an information security perspective. With user verification and device trust solutions, networks can build trust in user and device identities and enforce application access policies. Two-factor authentication can verify user access before they access corporate information and resources.