Businesses today are at more risk of a cyber attack than ever before. More than 40% of all data breaches affect small and medium-sized businesses, and the numbers are climbing fast. The average cyber attack can cost more than a million dollars in data loss, compliance penalties, downtime, contract breaches, and lengthy lawsuits.
New threats arise on a daily basis, but businesses are not powerless against them. Cyber security strategies evolve to meet the new challenges, and businesses must be quick to adapt in order to prevent data breaches. Read on to make sure your company is safe in today’s digital world.
Understand Common Cyber Security Risks
A strong cyber security strategy starts with understanding the risk of an attack. The main threats you should be aware of are:
- Phishing
- Ransomware
- Clickjacking/Malvertising
- Unauthorized downloads
- Network and software vulnerabilities
Understanding these risks will empower you to identify your vulnerabilities within your company. For example, you may restrict your employees from opening emails from unknown senders to avoid phishing, or vet all downloads through your VPN to stop unauthorized downloads.
Keep Software Applications Updated
Hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software to gain access. All software programs have bugs, and sometimes these bugs can provide back door access to unauthorized users.
If your company’s software is on the cloud, your IT provider will take care of software updates for you. Otherwise, you should make sure your IT employees keep all key systems regularly updated. These include operating systems like Windows 10, as well as all commonly used software and applications.
Properly Maintain Your Business Website
Your business website is your face to the world. A poorly maintained website will lose you customers, but it can also give hackers an opportunity to access your sensitive data. WordPress and similar CMS update automatically by default. If you turn off automatic updates, you are putting your company at risk.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication will protect your system from the majority of phishing and clickjacking attacks. This type of authentication requires two different types of evidence to grant access to a system.
For example, most systems require just a password, which is easy to steal. With two-factor authentication, the system also requires a verification code that’s generated automatically from services such as Google’s 2-Step Verification.
Finally, raising employee awareness will improve the effectiveness of any cyber security strategy your company adopts. With that in mind, you can aim to stay ahead and keep your assets secure.
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