Hacking is a severe issue for many businesses. A data breach at your company could lead to a loss of clients and revenue, harming your reputation for future business endeavours.
So, how do you safeguard against hacking in the modern security climate?
Keep reading to learn how to protect your business against hacking this year and improve your cybersecurity health. Here, we will discuss the top methods of protection that prevent the most prominent threats.
Invest In Cybersecurity Training
The OIAC performed a study and found that 38% of data breaches originated due to human error. If you’re looking to safeguard your business against hackers this year, you must train your employees on the best ways to evade hackers.
To do this, you can provide your employees with cybersecurity training that covers the following topics:
- Scam spotting – your employees should know how to spot untrustworthy emails, messages, and websites. This way, they will avoid scam attempts on their personal and company accounts. Warn your employees that they should only give out their details or password after verifying the source’s trustworthiness.
- Alerting cybersecurity teams of breaches – if your employees think they may have fallen victim to a cybersecurity attack or hacker, they should contact your IT or cybersecurity team immediately. You should train your employees on the importance of this policy, as it could help you to contain a cybersecurity breach and mitigate the damage.
- Password management software – rather than training your employees on the importance of password health, you can enforce a culture of password health in your business using password management software. Your employees should use password management software to store their passwords in a secure digital location. The software will notify them when their passwords are weak, unoriginal, or breached, so they can change them immediately and eliminate the weak link.
- Software update policy – you should implement a software update policy that dictates that your employees cannot access company resources on a device with outdated software. Outdated software might contain loopholes and vulnerabilities that a hacker could exploit in an attack, which the software provider will eliminate in newer software versions. So, be sure to train your employees on your software update policy.
Implement Zero Trust Network Access
If you’re looking to reduce your vulnerability to hacking, you can mitigate your exposure in the event of a security breach. To do this, you can implement zero-trust network access. A zero-trust policy dictates that users only gain permission to access the data they need to carry out their role daily and nothing further.
Only some users should access all your sensitive data and shouldn’t gain company-wide access simply because they can access the network. This way, if an employee account is hacked, they will expose only a limited amount of data, and your business will suffer fewer consequences from the breach.
The best ways to implement ZTNA in a cloud-based system are to use managed IT services or a VPN. The VPN will enforce role-based permissions and prevent employees from using unverified apps and online platforms. You can establish a directory with hierarchical access permissions and place users into each category to ensure zero trust extends to your cloud-based resources.
Reducing Your Data Storage
Businesses collect customer and client data based on website traffic and browsing habits. However, when you collect customer data, this data must have a shelf life. If you continuously accrue customer data in your data storage, it makes you a bigger target for hackers.
Hackers are drawn to personal data, as it is a gold mine and can be sold to companies looking for their target customers. So, to reduce your risk of falling victim to a cybersecurity attack, you should clear out your data regularly, making you less of a lucrative target.
Keeping Track Of Third Party Cybersecurity Health
Sometimes, it’s not just your business’s cybersecurity you need to be concerned about. Many companies work with third parties like small businesses, app service providers, and more that can gain access to their network. If these third parties regularly fall victim to cybersecurity attacks, your company could also be at risk. So, it’s essential to evaluate the cybersecurity health of any businesses linked to yours and have access to your network.
Summary
Cybersecurity is no minor consideration for modern business. You need to stay on top of the latest cybersecurity trends to keep your business safe, retain the trust of your clients, and protect your valuable data. By implementing the tips above, you can mitigate your risk and steer your business toward cybersecurity health.
Interested in managed IT services to help you reduce vulnerabilities? Reach out to our friendly team here at HelpDesk – we’re always happy to help businesses access protection!