CyberSecurity Best Practices

Theft is nothing new but in the digital age theft has morphed into a sophisticated, high-stakes battle between cyber criminals and cyber security experts. Companies are now faced with more threats to their security than ever before as attackers are constantly changing both how and what they attack. For example, in 2013 Target suffered a data breach that resulted in 40 million of its customers credit card data being compromised as a result of hackers infiltrating their systems through a third-party HVAC vendor. Not only are cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and creative they are also becoming more common. According to the FBI, since Jan 1, 2016 over 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred every day. 

What can companies do to protect themselves? 

The most important step to take for cybersecurity is to position it as a priority for your company across ALL levels of the organization. Making cybersecurity a priority and aligning it with your other business goals will help generate the necessary processes that will benefit the whole organization. 

Some best practices include:

Thorough and Complete Implementation: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and the same rules apply to your organization. In order for your security efforts to be sustainable and effective, they need to be implemented across the organization and utilized by everyone. From executives to front line managers. Another important facet is staying current with software implementations. It is critical to update software in a timely manner to avoid unnecessary vulnerabilities. 

Education and Awareness: The more your employees know about cybersecurity the better they can defend against threats and the quicker they can spot new vulnerabilities. It’s important for employees to be familiar with the types of threats they may face so they can spot an attack when it happens. Employees should also be trained and educated on compliance-based practices for how they should best handle, send, and receive data. 

Some of the most common types of threats include: 

Phishing

Trojans

Ransomware

Botnets

Data Manipulation

Data Theft

Spyware/Malware

Intellectual Property Theft

Distributed Denial of Service

And some less common threats: 

Drive-By Downloads

Malvertising

Wiper Attacks

Rogue Software

Build a culture of security: It’s important to have your employees continually working on security because criminals won’t stop finding new ways to attack. Rewarding good practices, especially proactive measures, and condemning the bad will promote security consciousness within your company. 

Cybersecurity is a complex and dynamic issue that every business should be concerned about. Using the steps outlined above can help mitigate your risk of attack but are not full proof. While the steps above will help limit your exposure to an attack they are not as effective as the security services a cybersecurity professional can offer. Get in touch with one of our experts today to learn how we can further reduce your business’s exposure and increase your recoverability in the event of a successful attack.