With 1.76 billion company records being leaked in January 2019 alone, the rise of cyberattacks and data breaches are increasing daily. It’s now more important than ever to make sure your company’s data is secure and safe from being breached. Below are our top 5 tips on protecting your company’s data
1. Create a Cyber security strategy
It’s very easy to sit back and think ‘it won’t happen to us’ and not put any protections in place. But with statistics showing that 48% of UK businesses identified at least one breach or attack a month, it is vital that you have a plan in place. The first place to start would be a cyber security review, to understand the potential threats and how to reduce the risk.
2. Educate your employees
A recent study revealed that 74% of the breaches reported in the first quarter of 2019 were a result of passwords being exposed to the public. Alongside this, reports show that Scammers send out 6,4 billion fake emails every day. If your employees are not clued up on phishing scams or security risks, they could unintentionally open malicious links, infect your company’s entire computer system or leak sensitive data. Regular training days and cyber risk updates are a great way of educating your staff.
3. Change your passwords
Yes, changing your password can be annoying, but an easy to guess/remembered password is easy to hack into; leading to possible data breaches and security risks. A recent report from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre shows that more than 23 million people were breached after using the password 123456. Despite the number of high-profile cybersecurity breaches, millions of still people continue to use default or easy-to-guess passwords for work and personal accounts.
In addition to frequently changing your passwords, introduce a two-factor authentication requirement into your password policy to make sure that the correct person is logging in.
4. Firewalls
It’s no longer enough to leave your security to manage itself. Security policies and configurations on your firewall devices must be updated to ensure appropriate access controls are kept in line with changing business environments. Network firewall traffic must be monitored continuously to identify and respond to threats before damage can be done. This is your first line of defence! Our Managed Next-Generation Firewall service is designed to help you reduce the time, cost and resources required to monitor and maintain firewall infrastructure day to day.
5. Data back up and recovery
Build a comprehensive backup solution, backup often, and test your backup solutions often. Backup your computer and file systems, drives, etc. ideally one that will not be infected or linked to your current computer system. You may even create a full backup to a removable drive of some kind. The bottom line is if your files get encrypted, you don’t have to pay the ransom – you just restore the files. Have a disaster recovery plan. If creating the backups is the beginning of the plan, have steps to continue implementation. Who will be responsible for removing the virus and re-establishing the file system? Is it someone in your IT department? Is it a contractor or third party? Always know what which steps to take – this will keep things running smoothly, and most importantly avoids a sense of panic in a tough situation.
Worried about your business’ Cyber Security? Fear not, our cost-effective Cyber Security reviews help companies stay ahead of cyber-attacks. Enquire today to speak to one of our experienced cybersecurity consultants.
