Cyber security is something that all businesses need to be concerned with today. It does not matter how small or big your company is, or what industry you operate in, you need to make data protection a priority.
After all, it seems that a day does not go by without news of a breach – and those are only the cyber attacks that are made public! There are plenty of other breaches that are not reported in the news.
So, with that in mind, read on to discover some of the cyber security mistakes you could be making, which you need to rectify as soon as possible.
Assuming that you are not a target
There is only one place to begin, and this is with assuming that your business will not be a target. This is an error that a lot of small business owners make.
They assume that hackers aren’t going to target their companies because they have bigger fish to fry. However, while large companies may be more profitable, they are also more difficult to breach.
Hackers often view small businesses as an easy payday because they know that they will not have such stringent cyber security measures in place.
Assuming you are not a target is a massive mistake. Every business is a target, so you need to take cyber security seriously.
Thinking it is just about malware – Yes, malware is something you do need to be concerned about. It is a critical tool in a hacker’s arsenal. Yet, it is not the only aspect of hacking that should be addressed. Cyber criminals will use malware to access a network. But once they are inside, there are so many different approaches they can use to gain access to your sensitive data. This is why it is a good idea to hire an ethical hacker. This is an individual that will breach your system, but they will do so for the purpose of finding the vulnerabilities so they can be patched up before a genuine hacker finds them.
Failing to review your security practices – Cyber security is not something you address once and then forget about. It is something that needs continual attention. After all, the Internet is constantly changing, and if you do not change with it, you will only get left behind. Cyber criminals are constantly looking for new ways to breach networks, and so you need to make sure you are ahead of the game.
Not educating your employees – Did you know that a large portion of breaches are insider attacks? Most of these breaches are not intentional. Yes, there are cases whereby disgruntled employees attack company networks. However, most employee cases are accidental. They happen because staff members have not been adequately trained in cyber security and so they make an error that gives a hacker easy access. This is why it is imperative to teach all of your employees about the best cyber security practices, as well as informing them of why data security is so important for your business. You should put together a written security policy for all of your employees to refer to. Make sure they are aware of how they need to act while they are using the company’s network. This includes everything from how they handle sensitive data to creating effective passwords. Make sure all employees safeguard their passwords, change them regularly, and use a mixture of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers and special characters.
Assuming third party vendors are safe – A lot of people assume that when they use a third party vendor, they don’t have to worry about security – it is the supplier’s responsibility. This is not the case. If a breach occurs and the hacker got through one of your suppliers, you will still suffer the grave consequences. It is your duty to make sure that any vendor you work with operates with adequate security measures in place.
You don’t have a disaster recovery plan – Cyber security is not only about putting methods in place to prevent a breach. Of course, this is an extremely pivotal part. Nevertheless, you also need to plan for what would happen if there was a breach. Yes, you may do everything in your power to stop this from occurring, but cyber security professionals are getting more and more sophisticated, and accidents do happen, so you do need to prepare for the worst. This is pivotal for brand protection and protecting the future of your company. The quicker you can resolve any issues, the less of an impact it will have on your business.
Trying to manage everything on your own – Cyber security is something that requires a considerable amount of attention. Moreover, it requires professional attention. If you do not have the required training and expertise, how are you going to adequately safeguard your business? It is not worth the risk. Enlist the assistance of experts that can give you the peace of mind that your company is protected.
Forgetting the basics – Last but not least, it can be easy to get carried away with advanced cyber security systems, but don’t forget the basics. From using a firewall to carefully devising your passwords, don’t give hackers the easiest breach possible by forgetting to deal with the basic stuff too.
If you don’t feel comfortable or experienced enough to organise your business security on your own, you might consider engaging a penetration testing expert. Experts like Fidus in the UK are in the profession of ethical hacking, with their goal to identify weaknesses in your security which can then be resolved.
