Top 5 ways to Prevent Your Business from Cyber Attack

Top 5 ways to Prevent Your Business from Cyber Attack

In the year 2017, a wave of multiple cyber attacks hit small businesses all across the globe. The hackers later onwards took total benefit of the situation and created frustrating issues for many small and growing businesses. The frustration prevailed due to the lack of proper equipment. The owners of small businesses failed to update their computer software and got what it deserved.

Although recently, cyber attacks have slowed down, but not stopped.

According to a defense outlook report made by Deloitte, the prosperous the country, the more the risk of the cyber attack.

Some of the wealthiest nations like United States, Japan, United Kingdom, China and South Korea have been recognized as some of the most significant targets.

Also, it is noteworthy to mention that the recent attack on the federal government may have revealed approximately 4.2 million both current and former federal employees along with the inspection for the clearances at the security and employees from other areas.

In a report generated by Intel’s cybersecurity solutions provider McAfee, called “Net Losses – Estimating the Global Cost of Cyber Crime,” which was revealed by the Centre of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), it was reckoned that cybercrime costs around $400 billion worldwide. It has been said that cybercrime disrupts trade, competitiveness, transformation, and global economic growth.

For developed countries, cybercrime has significant consequences for the employment. The effect of cybercrime is to move employment away from the jobs that generate the maximum value.

When you possess a small business, you may think that you can never be a target for cyber attack. However, this type of presumption can result in a colossal mistake and loss if adequate steps are not taken to protect your business. The fact is, more and more criminals are aiming small firms, only because these organizations have not taken suitable measures to protect their businesses from cyber attacks.

5 Conventional Ways to Protect Your Business from Cyber Attacks

Create Strong Passwords

Generating strong password is supposed to be the easiest, yet the most important task you can do to tighten up your security. Cloutier shares his tip for creating a complex password by using both upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols, making it eight to twelve characters long.

Microsoft has set up few guidelines to avoid the common mistakes while generating the password. Among them, the most common mistake people usually make is by using personal data, such as the date of birth, common words spelled backward, numbers or characters in sequences or the ones that are closer to the keyboard.

Also, it is suggested that while generating the password, use their convenient password checker to see how secure your password is and change if needed.

As far as how often a password should be changed, Cloutier suggests that at least once in 90 days your password needs a retouch to keep security in check. Another important key to a secure password is to ensure that every individual has their username and password for any login system, and the most important tip of all, never jot down your password – never.

Put Up Strong Firewall

To have a safe, secure and protected network, firewalls are very important. A firewall safeguards your network system by restraining internet traffic coming in and out of business. They are quite standard, almost every one of them. Cloutier suggests using them regularly to keep your system protected from any malware which may end up disturbing the business.

Back up Your Data Regularly

Employees should be motivated to back-up all of their data regularly throughout the year. Regular back-ups protect the data and ensure that it is not damaged during the cyber attack. There are quite a handful amount of automated backup solutions to manage all the data for you, and many of them provide you with an opportunity to test your saved data, keeping it safe during an unfortunate event.

Also, it is suggested that the data should be saved far from the locations of the office to keep it safe and protected throughout the year, for example in the cloud, and all the delicate data regarding the company and its clients should be encrypted to keep it safe and protected.

Keep Updating Regularly

To keep your computer safe and protected from the potential threat, keep updating it regularly to avoid any inconvenience. It is entirely necessary to ensure that your system is properly patched and updated. There’s a tiny point in installing all the great software if your computer is not maintained and updated correctly.

Watchinski explains, “Your security applications are only as good as their most recent update.”

While it is understood that applications are not entirely 100% effective, it is essential to keep them regularly updated to keep the users safe. Continuously updating your computer programs keeps you up-to-date on any new bugs or holes that the programmers have resolved.

Train and Educate Your Employees

Training your employees about secure online habits and proactive defense is mandatory. Watchinski believes that educating them about what they are doing and why it’s harmful is more constructive strategy than expecting your IT security staff to react to end users’ bad decisions continuously. It’s not an easy task.

Watchinski believes that one of the most challenging tasks is to protect end users against themselves. But eventually, prevention is known to be the best strategy in handling delicate data security.

Also, it is entirely necessary to make the employees understand that the company data is very fragile and the company would do its best to protect it no matter what.

Conclusion

Cyber attacks can be prevented quite easily if appropriate steps are taken to control it. It is necessary to educate the staff about it and provide them with all the essential guidelines to keep the data safe.  Regular backups and updating your computer frequently will keep your data secure, no matter how big or small the organization is.

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