Because the world of technology is continually expanding, businesses are exposed to cyberattacks, and cybercriminals know they may make a lot of money if they achieve their evil goals. In hindsight, 2021 was a difficult year for cybersecurity in a variety of ways. Ransomware struck with a fury, wreaking havoc on many small and medium-sized enterprises. Possibly most concerning was how adversaries targeted and exploited critical infrastructure and supply chain security flaws at a faster rate than before.
According to the Allianz Risk Barometer, cyber threats will be the most pressing problem for businesses globally in 2022. Companies are more concerned about ransomware attacks, data breaches, and catastrophic IT failures than they are about business and supply chain disruptions, natural catastrophes, or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have had a significant impact in the previous year., cyber threats will be the most pressing problem for businesses globally in 2022.
Companies are more concerned about ransomware attacks, data breaches, and catastrophic IT failures than they are about business and supply chain disruptions, natural catastrophes, or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have had a significant impact in the previous year., cyber threats will be the most pressing problem for businesses globally in 2022. Companies are more concerned about ransomware attacks, data breaches, and catastrophic IT failures than they are about business and supply chain disruptions, natural catastrophes, or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have had a significant impact in the previous year., cyber threats will be the most pressing problem for businesses globally in 2022. Companies are more concerned about ransomware attacks, data breaches, and catastrophic IT failures than they are about business and supply chain disruptions, natural catastrophes, or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have had a significant impact in the previous year.
Hackers use a variety of digital weapons to disrupt corporate operations, including malware, Trojans, botnets, and distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults, and it may be tough to get infected systems back up and running. An effective cyberattack may result in significant data loss as well as the theft of confidential, employee, and customer data. Although the greatest antivirus software can help combat some of these dangers, additional steps must still be taken to keep your organization safe.
Having this in mind, Annexus' specialists have put together a list of nine practical strategies for preventing cyberattacks on your company.
1. Employees should be educated about cyber safety
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, many non-tech-savvy staff have been exposed to internet risks, exposing firms to cyberattacks. Hackers have turned to strategies like spear-phishing and social engineering to locate easy prey since there are many tools accessible to businesses to secure their digital assets, such as managed IT services that give top-notch protection on a small company budget. Businesses often find it difficult to keep up with the changing landscape.
Managers must foster an office culture that recognizes the value of cybersecurity, including professional training on a regular basis. Employees should also be advised to think twice before giving personal or sensitive information, particularly if the request appears questionable. A cyber incident response strategy should be in place, allowing personnel to deal with data breaches and report possible risks.
2. Outsource your security requirements to a cybersecurity service
The ongoing requirement for training and continuous learning is one of the most difficult aspects of having an in-house cybersecurity staff. Training individuals and keeping their knowledge up to speed with the most recent dangers and solutions involves time, effort, and financial resources. They also require the appropriate software tools, which means selecting the most appropriate from a plethora of possibilities. In this regard, outsourced teams have a distinct edge. Because they've worked for multiple firms in various sectors throughout time, external security professionals have familiarity with a broad range of risks.
Furthermore, outsourcing allows you to concentrate on your main business while knowing that the professionals are up to speed on current cyber threats and will provide your firm with layered protection. External cybersecurity services will also evaluate your cyber strategies, safeguard your networks, update your machines, and set up spam filters. In addition, they will install firewalls for real-time security and provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Annexus Technologies aims to maintain your network safe and guarantee you are constantly compliant with a vast pool of expertise and solutions.
3. Set up top-of-the-line antivirus and endpoint protection software
Basic antivirus software is designed for home computers and can only protect the machine on which it is installed. If you have many devices, however, you should utilize software or a suite of applications that combines all your cybersecurity and privacy protections into a single dashboard that the IT Administrator can manage. The key to utilizing antivirus software is to keep it up to date and to set the protection level to maximum. A corporate or professional program that protects numerous devices is known as endpoint protection software or endpoint security antivirus. Endpoint protection refers to the protection of all user devices linked to the business's network, including servers, tablets, laptops, printers, mobile phones, and smartwatches. Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPPs) may update and manage individual devices remotely, identify internet risks and login attempts, and encrypt data to prevent unwanted access.
4. Securely store data and safeguard employee information
You must gather information from your applications and workers as an employer. Social Security numbers (SSNs), dates of birth, medical records, and other vital information supplied while employment might be among the data. However, after you've gathered the sensitive information, it's your obligation to keep it safe. Hackers utilize a technique known as social engineering, in which they persuade individuals into providing sensitive information by using publicly accessible information. As a result, businesses should minimize the quantity of information about their firm and personnel that they post online. To protect sensitive data from cyber theft, loss, destruction, and natural catastrophes, businesses must store data securely and maintain several data backups. Protecting sensitive employee information necessitates a significant investment of time and effort on the part of the organization. Because the features that work well for one firm may not be great for yours, choose the proper data storage provider for your needs.
5. Audit your cyber-security practices on a regular basis
If a cyber security audit is being planned in your company, you might want to read more in order to learn about the best practices for maximizing the audit's usefulness. Since external audits may be costly, it is preferable to be as prepared as possible by following these best practices.
Access and download backed-up files to observe how the recovery procedure will function for your company. Evaluate your cybersecurity strategies and review your servers, software, systems, and cloud solutions on a frequent basis to guarantee that your company is adequately protected. Identify and address any vulnerabilities, as well as check that the backed-up files are not damaged in any manner. Other maintenance tasks, such as deleting unneeded software, can help to lessen the danger of fraudsters stealing or destroying your important data. Speak with law enforcement to learn more about ransomware—malicious software that encrypts data and extorts money from victims—and how to avoid it.
6. Create guidelines for internet safety
All organizations should have a cybersecurity policy in place that outlines its policies for securely accessing the internet, safeguarding the company from liability, protecting personnel from harm and exploitation, and ensuring consumers have a safe and dependable experience. Create a strategy for your company that includes security measures to identify and protect against cyber threats, rules and processes to guide your company's reaction to cyber assaults, and safeguards to enable for quick recovery from cyber security incidents. The Small Biz Cyber Planner from the Federal Communications Commission and the Cyber Security Framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology can help you design a holistic cyber security strategy suited to your organization's existing assets and specific cyber security risks.
7. When exchanging or uploading material online, encrypt it
Large data must be shared digitally in today's corporate world and doing so without using secure methods poses a security risk. Nevertheless, unless they learn it the hard way, not many firms realize the seriousness of the problem and how vulnerable the Internet is. You must first encrypt your data or utilize a cloud storage solution that supports end-to-end data encryption to prevent attackers from intercepting it during transfers or online uploads. Because of contemporary file-sharing services, file size is no longer a problem. Multi-gigabyte files may be sent without difficulty. You can use their free or paid versions depending on your needs, although free versions may have size restrictions, whilst paid ones do not.
8. Use pass-phrases or create difficult passwords
To prevent unwanted access to their machines, every employee should develop strong passwords that include letters, special characters, and digits, as well as multi-factor authentication. Businesses may choose to use pass-phrases instead to provide extra system security. For simpler access to your accounts, consider signing up for a trustworthy and secure password management service. These password managers can also help you create difficult passwords.
9. To prevent breaches, scan and monitor networks
Data breaches may be avoided by implementing cyber security strategies. It's critical to keep track of what's going on with user accounts in order to spot unusual activity like numerous login attempts, logins at odd hours, or user logins to systems or data they don't ordinarily access. Primarily, uninstall outdated software and remove unused devices that can be abused if they are unable to be upgraded to the most recent operating system. Before you get rid of them, make sure they don't contain any critical information.
Before introducing portable disks into your computers, scan them for viruses that might allow hackers access to your systems. Remove outdated access credentials and passwords from the system to prevent former workers from gaining unauthorized access to your data and stealing or destroying it.
To avoid unwanted third-party app installs and malware penetrating your systems, make sure staff can't install software or visit insecure websites without permission. To prevent thieves from compromising staff and obtaining access to more information than they expected, limit administrative computer rights to higher-ranking employees and IT professionals.
Stopping a cyberattack is critical for the existence of your company. We've got you covered if you need additional information on securing your personal data or your company from dangers. We provide a free call that goes through the finest cybersecurity procedures. Learn how to defend your company from typical cyber risks, from spam filtering to penetration testing. Therefore, what do you have to lose? To defend your business, secure your data, protect your consumers, and follow the measures outlined above.
To schedule an evaluation session, contact us via email: connect@annexustech.com or phone: (754) 312-6580.