2019 has been a fantastic year for cybercriminals. According to the experts at NortonLifeLock Inc, more than 4,1 billion records were exposed. Massive data breaches grabbed the headlines. Nevertheless, many companies still hide incidents of this kind, not publicly reporting breaches of customer or other types of data. The fact is that data breaches occur quite frequently and it is almost impossible to keep up with all these incidents.
Companies of any size need to understand that it is important to safeguard themselves from online criminals. Regrettably, business owners often think that they do not have sufficient data to justify a security solution as they believe that the information they possess is of no interest to individuals who commit cybercrime.
You are the target, unfortunately
The biggest mistake you can make is to think that you are not a target. When it comes down to the Internet, you cannot anticipate what will happen. And yes, you have that something that cybercriminals want, which is why you must do everything possible to secure your connected presence. The choice of the victim depends on the motive for the attack, yet it is essential not to neglect the organization’s vulnerability to attacks.
It is tempting to think that potential attackers target large businesses exclusively. Nothing could be more wrong than to think that. Cybercriminals will most likely target small businesses. This is because they do not have protective measures in place and malicious actors can evade detection easily. The most effective way to defend yourself against a faceless enemy is to have all your defenses up.
Configure mail security in the firewall
Email security threats have not ceased to evolve. Messages distributed electronically are no longer safe. Why? Simply because they travel through the World Wide Web. Ingoing and outgoing messages are vulnerable to all sorts of threats, such as ransomware, phishing, and spoofing. What could happen if the company email account gets compromised? Besides the fact that you face fines and legal actions as a result of losing sensitive customer or financial information, the long-term reputation of your brand will suffer too.
Put up a firewall to protect your organization against dangerous ingoing and outgoing messages. A good firewall is capable of enforcing mail security by scanning all connections for malware and verifying the reputation of the sender’s IP address. If malware happens to be detected in an email attachment, it will be removed at once. Spam is blocked in a number of ways, so there is no reason to worry about links that can take the recipient to a malicious website if clicked. By using a firewall, you can significantly reduce the number of successful attacks against your firm.
Move operations and storage to the cloud
There is no better time than now to move your business to the cloud. Roughly 80 percent of enterprise workloads will use cloud technology before anything else. Additionally, cybersecurity experts say that the future is in the cloud. A good configuration of the cloud does not lead to an invalidation of internal policies that protect sensitive data. Some cloud services actually ensure strong authentication, encryption, and audit logging.
Cloud security offers numerous layers of control within the network infrastructure, which allows entrepreneurs to balance DDoS protection, data security, and, last but not least, regulatory compliance with the cloud security provider. Even if you are deploying a cloud-based solution, it is not recommended to get too comfortable. To be more precise, the provider’s cybersecurity resources may not be able to handle data protection all day and all night. Here are some things that you can do to further improve cloud security:
- Use MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) to safeguard access to data and applications.
- Design a thorough off-boarding process.
- Back up files that are already in cloud storage.
Bring in an IT specialist
To considerably decrease the risk of a data security breach, acquire the services of a security professional. A great many brands have leveraged IT consulting services to improve their cybersecurity strategies and you should do the same. An IT expert will educate the people in the organization regarding best protection practices. Most importantly, they will prevent your data from being stolen. What is certain is that you will not fall victim to cyberattacks. Do not be hesitant to engage in communication with experienced IT professionals.
IT consultants work in partnership with clients, advising them on what to do. They may want to see if your accounts are vulnerable and will tell you what to do to mitigate security risks. Keep in mind that customer and corporate data are the most valuable resources you have and the fact that you have not suffered a data breach yet,does not mean that you will not in the future.
Protect your business from ransomware
Do you know what the difference is between data breach and ransomware? A data breach is when sensitive information is copied and stolen from the business. Ransomware, on the other hand, blocks your access to data. However, if there is ransomware, there must have been a data breach beforehand. Ransomware is the reason why many companies around the world have put an end to their operations.
More often than not, this malicious type of software gives the impression of being legitimate software. Developers make great efforts to design software that looks completely reliable. What steps do you need to take to protect your organization? Get a good understanding of what is going on across the network and have a plan for how to respond in the event of an attack. This is not limited to the technical response.
