There is no doubt that cybersecurity has taken a huge step for the better. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the lurking cybercriminals, searching for new innovative ways to compromise your data and hold it for ransom.
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Simple Things You Should Be Doing To Protect Your Privacy
The importance of cybersecurity cannot be overemphasized–nor the consequence a data leak can have on your business. The good news is that hope is not necessarily in vain. Here are some of the best practices to ensure your data is secure:
Ensure That Your Data Is Well Protected
There are countless different types of cybercriminals. The first step to securing data is to determine which type of cyber threat your business is particularly vulnerable too. This will ensure that you are able to invest adequate resources in the right fields of cybersecurity.
A prime example is businesses that operate mainly through a web platform–such as an e-commerce website. In order to protect their data integrity, companies should integrate SSL encryption.
This helps protect both business data, as well as confidential client data such as their contact information and personal details. Another benefit of employing SSL encryption is that it will improve your Search Engine Ranking Of Page drastically.
Your company may even consider using electronic payment tools–this will keep your information safe, and save your company a lot of money. Converting to something this simple can help your business a lot if it’s hacked.
Keep Your Employees Updated On The Latest Cybercriminal Practices
Your employees are the forerunners of your business. That is why cybercriminals tend to target them with various phishing and malware techniques.
One needs to be diligent when it comes to ensuring that employees understand what cyber threats look like. This includes training employees to be able to identify what a phishing email looks like. A good practice is to test your employees now and then through purposefully sending a phishing email, and determining whether or not they pinpoint that it is a threat to your company.
Keep Your Software And Security Platforms Up To Date
Businesses should strive to stay up to date with the latest software security measures. This will mitigate the risk of cyber criminals targeting your enterprise. As they tend to target businesses that have outdated software. A prime example of this is the WannaCry ransomware attack, which was possible because those organizations ran the older version of the Windows Operating System, which was more vulnerable.
It is also considered good practice for businesses to regularly backup their data by using a disaster recovery tool–as this will mitigate the risk that ransomware can pose to your businesses.
Invest Into A Cyber Attack Insurance Coverage
As quickly as security companies release new patches, software, and security protocols–cybercriminals are developing new schemes to compromise the security. It is a never-ending battle to stay up to date and protected. For this reason, it is advised to be proactive and find insurance policies that cover the risk of liabilities that arise in consequence of a cyber attack.
Consider The Benefits That Cloud Computing Can Have On Your Business
The cloud is a miracle in terms of safety for businesses, small and large. The cloud is essentially an online platform that can be used to store company sensitive information. Not only is this a high-security platform. But it also mitigates the risk of physical loss such as a server melting down and compromising your data integrity.
Maximize Your Website Protection
The two most common practices of cybercriminals are to attempt to breach your security either through your employees or through your web-platform. That is why it is important to ensure that you have adequately protected both of these liabilities.
A good practice to further secure your online platform is to implement WAF’s (Web Application Firewalls). These firewalls provide a shell of security to cyber threats such as service attacks, cross-site scripting, and brute force attacks (server overload)–just to name a few.
The best part about WAF’s is that for all the value they bring to your business–they are fairly affordable. Better yet, it is easy enough to configure. There is no reason why you should not invest in this particular form of security.
The Consequence That Cyber Attacks Pose To Your Business
No business wants to have to send out an email to their clients explaining that they have been hacked, and their data is being held ransom. Not only does this cause a huge loss of credibility, but it also opens up the risk of lawsuits from other companies and customers alike. A successful cyber attack can cripple businesses no matter how large or small.
The good news is that these tips have been tried and tested. Through implementing a few of these best practices–you will mitigate both the risk and consequence that cyber criminals pose to your business. 🙂
