Cybersecurity is No Joke: 7 Tips to Protect Your Business

As the world continues to move online, the number and severity of cyberattacks are growing consistently—posing a serious threat to business owners. Cybercriminals take every opportunity to launch attacks that can inflict serious financial and reputational damage.

Many people still fall for phishing scams because they lack a basic understanding of these attacks. Worse, they don’t have adequate cybersecurity protection in place. 

Don't get fooled this year. Take control and brush up on your IT and security knowledge with these cybersecurity tips. 

Cybersecurity for Your Biz: 7 Basic Concepts You Need to Know

The main objective of implementing cybersecurity measures is to build a robust security environment for your servers, networks, and computers. This is to protect the data stored in these devices from cyber threats.

One of the best ways to prepare for any attack is to understand the importance of cybersecurity. Doing so lets you spot your vulnerabilities or potential ways that hackers can gain access to your data.

Get started with these basic concepts:

Identify and manage your assets

Identifying your assets is one of the crucial aspects of strengthening your cybersecurity.

Audit all the devices and software that are linked to your network and close any visible gaps that you find for better cybersecurity posture. 

Here are the two key aspects you need to take care of:

Network devices

Some of the devices to consider as a part of your network infrastructure are: 

• Devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.) 
• Servers 
• Workstations 
• Printers
• Network hardware 

Platform

Consider the most common platforms that your devices are using, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux. This is to easily manage your IT assets.

You’ll be able to identify all the devices that need patching of outdated software - both operating systems and applications. This helps remove critical security vulnerabilities.

Here are a few tips to get started: 

• Use automatic security updates for your desktop web browser. 
• Turn on automatic system updates for all your devices. 
• Keep your web browser plugins like Java, Flash etc. updated. 

Enable firewall security

A firewall is essentially a set of related programs that prevent cyber thieves or outsiders from accessing your network data.

Prevent cyberattacks by making sure that your operating system firewall is enabled. You can install free firewall software. But for your organisation, you may need to invest in business-grade firewall security.

Also, in case your employees are working from home, ensure that their workstation is firewall-protected as well.

Implement a password policy

Set a password policy to ensure that all your employees use strong passwords and that they change them periodically. This is an essential step towards enhancing your system security.

Here are some of the basics of password management for your organisation: 

• Users should set up a complex password with special characters such as "#@!*&" as well as letters and numbers. 
• Passwords should be between 8-15 characters long and never be written down or stored near or under the device. 
• Password should be changed/updated periodically to prevent brute force password cracks.

Use multi-factor authentication

Two-factor or multi-factor authentication is essentially a service for an additional layer of security to the standard password method of online identification.

With two-factor or multi-factor identification, you would be prompted to enter one additional authentication method after entering your username and password. It can be in the form of a password, personal identification code, or fingerprint. 

READ: Keep Your WordPress Website Safe with Two-Factor Authentication

Prevent phishing scams

More than 85% of other malware attacks originate from phishing attempts.

Phishing scams are getting nastier than ever. In a typical phishing attempt, the attacker tricks the recipient into divulging confidential information, credentials, or clicking a malicious link that attacks the user's system with malware, trojan, and other serious threats.

Few of the important cybersecurity tips to avoid phishing attacks include: 

• Never open an email or download a file from an unfamiliar sender or email address. 
• Be suspicious of the random emails sent to you – look for the source and/or if there are grammatical errors. 
• Know which links are safe to open and which aren't. You can hover over a link to discover where it directs to. 

Perform full system scans

Viruses, malware and spyware are continually evolving and can sometimes evade the strictest of protection systems you have.

To prevent this, do a system scan daily using a good-quality anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware software.

This helps you identify and remove any malicious agents in your network early before any further damage happens.

READ: How to Identify Phishing Attacks and Protect Yourself Against Them

Backup your files

Usually, when a cyberattack happens, data gets compromised or deleted. This puts a strain on your business continuity, causing traffic and revenue loss.

That’s why it’s best to rely on a backup program that automatically copies all the files to your storage. If an online attack happens, you can easily restore all your files from your backup.

While picking a backup service, make sure to find one that gives you the ability to automate or schedule the backup process. Also, make sure to store your backup files offline, so they don't become inaccessible or encrypted if the system suffers a ransomware attack.

Don't become yet another April fool

Be it the 1st of April or any other day for that matter, don’t get fooled! Build a robust cybersecurity for your business by knowing the basic concepts. This lets you strengthen your first line of defence against cyber threats. 

For all your business’s cybersecurity needs, get in touch with our team today.