cybersecurity

How To Prevent A Data Breach: 5 Best Practices

While you may not grasp the overall idea of cybersecurity, various managed service providers have services that will protect your business from cyberattacks.

As a business, you may experience unauthorized access to your network from time to time. Even though some may not do much damage, losing sensitive data can be a big concern. The data in your system include your internal ones, and those of your customers and business partners. Therefore, the security of this data is essential to your business’s reputation and operations.

Get Cybersecure

While you may not grasp the overall idea of cybersecurity, various managed service providers (MSPs) have service and educational tools that can enable you to protect your business from cyberattacks. Even though these service providers can give you support remotely, it’s advisable to find one within your location. Getting a local MSP ensures that you can get immediate physical support if the need arises.

When searching for available MSPs near you, you can use your geographical location to narrow down your search. For instance, for MSPs with cybersecurity plans in Australia, you can search ‘cyber security Australia.’ Then, from the options available, you can check the one closest to your business location.

Managed service providers can help your business improve its data security. However, you should establish cybersecurity policies and practices to reinforce their services. The below points can help you with the best practices that can prevent a data breach in your business.

Frequent Staff Training

Your team members can present one of the highest risks for data loss in your business. This is because the team is a link between your network system and the outside world. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure that your team understands and practices good cyber hygiene.

It’s important to note that cyber-criminals consistently devise new forms of cyberattack. As such, keeping your staff updated on emerging risks and cybersecurity practices can help keep your data secure. You can, for example, train your team members on how to recognize phishing emails and malicious websites. In addition, you should ensure they understand the importance of using strong passwords and a virtual private network (VPN). It’d also be best to educate your team on the need to separate personal devices from work accounts, and work devices from personal accounts.

As you carry out cybersecurity training, you can follow up with an assessment to gauge its impact. For example, you may send a phishing email that can help you identify the vulnerability of your team. From these tests, you can assess the success rate of the training and know where to improve.

Create Access Levels And Monitor User Activity

Sometimes, you may want your team to have unrestricted access to perform their duties. While it may good for daily operations, it can be a significant risk to your cybersecurity. A team member may knowingly or unknowingly expose sensitive data or provide a loophole for cybercriminals to access your network.

Therefore, to minimize the risk of exposure, you should create access levels according to the users’ roles. You limit the access risk to sensitive data from possible cyberattacks by so doing. As a general rule, the most sensitive data should only be accessible to a select few.

The access privileges should then be controlled by the system admin, who can monitor user activity. This monitoring can help detect compromised user accounts or weak passwords, which can create loopholes that lead to data breaches.

Regularly Update Your Software And Firmware

Given the frequent changes in the security threats on software, most software providers always release new security patches to counter any new threats. The safety measures you use today may not be as effective tomorrow. Therefore, you should constantly update your software and firmware to install the latest security patches and improve your cybersecurity.

You can set these updates to occur when the system is less in use. This allows the updates to finish without any interruption. It’s also essential to ensure your team understands the necessity of updating their workstations.

Establish And Practice A Data Backup And Recovery Process

In some cases, a cybersecurity breach can delete data from your system. Therefore, having a data backup plan enables you to restore your network close to the pre-data breach level. An effective backup plan should allow you to back up your data regularly and automatically. Additionally, it should involve a remote backup and an off-site backup.

Most managed service providers can provide you with a cloud-based backup package. On the other hand, an off-site backup means that the backup device is disconnected from your network after the backup process is complete. The backup frequency should allow the least loss in case a security breach occurs between backup schedules. Thus, it can be hourly, daily, or weekly, depending on your operations and data sensitivity.

Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Using passwords alone can still pause a security risk if the login credentials fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, you should implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) or two-factor authentication before one can enter your network. Using MFA creates an extra layer of security that ensures the access request is from an authorized user. It’s important to note that using MFA shouldn’t eliminate the need to use strong passwords.

Conclusion

The frequently evolving cyber threats mean that protecting your data from breaches can be quite challenging. The loss from a data breach can be damaging and irreversible. However, you can minimize the risks and ensure your data are safe with the above best practices.

4 Network security tools you should be using

Is your online information protected? Here are 4 network security tools you should be using to fight off hackers and data breaches.

Did you know that you can expect a network security attack to cost your business around $200,000? Even worse, the same data showed that small businesses are particularly susceptible and unprepared for security problems.

Thankfully, you have many network security tools to try that can help you find holes in your system as well as put preventative measures in place easily. You also have ways to plan to restore your system in case an attack does happen.

Take a look at four cybersecurity tools that can help your startup.

Antivirus Software

If somebody gets into your network, they can potentially spread viruses and malware that interrupt your business and corrupt your data. So, having antivirus software installed on all network-connected devices is a must.

Available for phones, tablets, and computers, antivirus applications will run scans 24/7, alert you if anything gets found, and block harmful programs. Many even check email for potential scams and malicious files and alert you about system security updates.

Some antivirus programs have an option to make private cloud backups of important data and allow you to restore data a virus has damaged.

Vulnerability Scanner

To prevent intruders from getting into your network, you should know what security holes your network potentially has. A vulnerability scanner comes in handy as it will analyze your network and equipment to warn you about potential issues and offer some solutions.

For example, these scanners can inform you about dangerous software bugs and holes in data security that can allow a hacker to steal your company’s information. They can also let you know about risky services and open ports that you should turn off or close.

Network and Application Firewalls

If you want a great way to block a hacker from getting access in the first place, then your business needs to install firewalls. You can get these security tools both for hardware like routers as well as for operating systems.

You can configure the firewall to only let certain applications or devices access your network. You can also see who tried to get in so that you can detect potential attackers.

Intrusion Detection Software

While firewalls help block intruders, intrusion detection software offers more advanced methods of checking your network’s traffic and logging suspicious events. You can choose between systems that just monitor for intrusions along with those that actively defend against them too.

This cybersecurity software will spot patterns of concern and alert your administrator. You’ll also have access to comprehensive reports and often a dashboard that updates in real-time.

Use These Network Security Tools for Your Business

By using some of these network security tools, you can protect your business and be in a better position in case the worst does happen. But keep in mind that you can do even more.

If you don’t have IT staff who can thoroughly test your network or you just want a second opinion, consider hiring a security consultant. They can do a thorough assessment of your business and offer solutions to fill in any gaps.

For more tips on running a successful business, check out our other posts.

3 Essential cybersecurity considerations all businesses need to think about

These are the three cybersecurity considerations every small business must address to ensure their business is protected and secure.

For any business prioritising growth, cybersecurity should be a top concern. Potential investors analyse risk and want to see evidence of your firm taking steps to minimise that risk. A comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is one way of doing so.

With more and more cybersecurity breaches hitting the headlines, and recent breaches demonstrating even large multinational corporations like Equifax are not immune, it has never been more important to get your company’s cybersecurity plan organised.

These are the three cybersecurity considerations every small business must address to ensure their business is protected and secure. For more information on what you can do to minimise your business’s cyber risk, take a look at these tricks.

One Breach is All it Takes to Destroy Your Company’s Value

Cyber breaches expose sensitive data to prying eyes, disrupt operations, and can result in hefty financial losses. Recovering after a large cyber attack takes time and can have far-reaching effects of your brand and reputation.

Consider the case of TripAdvisor. In 2014, an attack left 1.4 million customers’ data at risk. It wasn’t even detected by the company. It wasn’t until customers cards began receiving charges that the breach was detected. The whole affair left TripAdvisor’s stock price significantly diminished and had a lasting impact on the public perception of the brand.

On the flip side, your company’s ability to prevent and contain cyber breaches can add considerable value to your business and make your business an enticing prospect for investors.

People are the Biggest Risk to Your Business

Many business owners believe that the biggest pillar of any cybersecurity strategy is its digital protections like anti-virus software and firewalls. In reality, it is your staff.

Human error, like clicking on a phishing email link or downloading suspicious software, is the weakest part of any cybersecurity strategy. Even with the best antivirus software in the world, if a human is deliberately downloading suspicious software and clicking suspicious links, there will be security threats.

That is why staff training should be an essential component of any cybersecurity strategy. Educating employees on cyber threats is essential for protecting your business and keeping operations running smoothly.

Small and Mid-Size Companies are Most Often Targeted

Small and medium-sized business owners are often of the mindset that they won’t fall victim to hackers because they aren’t large enough. But this is fundamentally not true. In fact, most attacks are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses because hackers know they don’t have the time and resources to dedicate teams to fighting cyber threats.

71% of cyber attacks target businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Not only are they easier targets for hackers, but they know that they may be able to use the smaller company as a backdoor to a larger one.

For example, in 2013, hackers were able to steal data on 40 million Target customers by hacking a small HVAC contractor that had undertaken work for the large retail giant.

This is why, no matter how small your company is, it pays to implement a coordinated and coherent cybersecurity strategy from the off.