How to Protect your Business from Cyberattacks

Cyber Security

As technology progresses, it gives you new avenues to grow your business. You can use your website to reach out to a broader audience and propagate your solutions portfolio. You can use your website to reach out to a broader audience and propagate your solutions portfolio. The advancement of internet technologies has also resulted in numerous data breaches at large and small businesses. It has become essential for companies of all sizes to protect their networks from hackers.

Studies show that cybercrime is expected to cost US$ 6 trillion globally by 2021, and ransomware is expected to affect a business every 11 seconds. The risk of a data breach can be immense and can lead to loss of critical data and the loss of customer trust, lawsuits, and hefty penalties and fines from the government authorities.

Cybercriminals can threaten to shut down your systems, and it is essential to minimize your risks against such data breaches. In this article, we will discuss some of the steps you can take to prevent cyberattacks. 

Keep the software updated

It is essential to keep your software updated as the updates plug any vulnerabilities present in the earlier version. These vulnerabilities can allow fraudsters to enter your network and wreak havoc with your sensitive data.

Your IT team must check for any updates every fortnight and create alerts to notify them of any upcoming releases. Your IT team must check for any updates every fortnight and create alerts to notify them of any upcoming releases. These updates must then be uploaded on all the relevant systems in your organization. 

Limit access to sensitive data

You must limit the access of your employees too sensitive data in the organization. Access must be provided to those employees who are authorized to access such data for operational purposes. There must be a proper audit log of the employees who have accessed the data over a period. It will help the IT team to keep track of all people who accessed the back end and check if there were any unauthorized access during the period. 

Shift to an HTTPS website

Being small does not mean you are safe. A study from The Manifest shows that a fifth of small businesses had to face a cyberattack in 2019. You, therefore, encrypt the communication between your web server and the browser of the visitor.

Enable HTTPS on Website

(Source: ssl2buy.com)

Encryption of vital information will help thwart a cyberattack as the attacker cannot read the communication or access the back-end. Encryption of vital information will help in thwarting any cyberattack as the attacker won’t be able to read the communication or access the back-end.

Therefore, it is crucial to buy a cheap SSL certificate and move to an HTTPS website as web browsers are marking non-HTTPS websites as “Not Secure”.

Backup critical data

It is essential to have a backup of your systems at definite time intervals, and your IT team must have a robust set up together with the policies and procedures for doing so. Your organization must have a regular backup of critical data, and it must be carried out at least every fortnight with daily increments. Such a policy will help you to be back on your feet quickly in case of an attack. 

Undertake periodic training

It is vital to keep your employees trained on hackers’ ways and means to break into secure networks. It is vital to keep your employees trained on hackers’ ways and means to break into secure networks. You must train your employees periodically about the best practices they must undertake to prevent any such attacks. There have been successful attacks through phishing due to the negligence of an employee. There must be a clear set of actions that must be avoided when using office networks and when someone brings their device to the office. 

Use robust anti-malware applications

It is crucial to prevent malware and other malicious code from gaining access to your system. Your IT team must deploy highly efficient firewalls and antivirus software along with anti-malware applications. It will protect your systems from unauthorized access and prevent any malware from gaining entry by instantly identifying and isolating them.

It will protect your systems from unauthorized access and prevent any malware from gaining entry by identifying and isolating them instanYou must update the software periodically to ensure they can perform at their best abilities.

Prevent Insider Security Threats(Source: techtarget.com) 

Secure your networks

Organizations must ensure proper security to prevent any access by third-party systems and undertake periodic audits. The IT team must implement a robust process by using password best practices for the networks and allowing only authorized personnel with requisite user credentials to access the routers and other critical infrastructure.

The routers must be set to use WPA-2 along with the AES encryption standards. You must also inform your employees to use public Wi-fi systems to access the office networks. 

Conclusion

It is crucial to protect your business from hackers as any data breach can lead to significant financial losses and trust breachIt is crucial to protect your business from hackers as any data breach can lead to significant financial losses and trust breach. With the number of successful data breaches on the increase, organizations need to buy a cheap SSL certificate to encrypt the critical information and protect their website.

Businesses must also secure their networks with robust passwords and undertake periodic training for their employees. You must be on your guard by deploying robust strategies and professional best practices to protect your business against cyberattacks.

The following two tabs change content below.
Nirupama Verma is a self passionate blogger, managing a bunch of informational blogs. She has written a lot of informational content for several popular blogs.

Latest posts by Nirupama Verma (see all)

One thought on “How to Protect your Business from Cyberattacks”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *