The most intimidating thing about the evolution of technology is that data breaches have increased dramatically. If you are unprepared for it, the stakeholders are likely to lose faith in your business. Hence, it is crucial to keep your business completely secure from cyber threats at all costs. Remember, cyber-attacks are no longer just a problem for large organizations in the internet-based world.
Regardless of the size of your business, it is at risk of being hacked. Cybercriminals have the capability to seriously damage small, big and even medium-sized enterprises. The real question that arises here is: What can you do to keep your business safe online and avoid possible risks? All you need to do is use some effective and inexpensive cybersecurity measures to defend your business against cyber-attacks. We have put together a few effective ways to help you get started.
Consider Installing a Firewall on Your Network
First things first, you need to install a proper firewall to stop the hacker from accessing your payment terminal. Nowadays, hackers can easily steal the information of vendors, details of your employees, data of different customers by inserting malware into your terminal. Keep in mind that a data breach like this can negatively affect your relationship with your customers, and vendors, not to mention, employees.
Having a firewall in your computer can not only protect your computer from malware but also other common methods used by cybercriminals. For instance, when large or small amounts of data are extracted from your network, it can easily be detected by the firewall, in no time. Besides that, the firewall is in charge of shutting down the process if it is not authorized by the appropriate personnel.
Train Employees on How to Deal with Cyber Threats
The most common practice used by hackers is that they attack a specific target through phishing and spear-phishing attacks. The only way to be sure that your business is protected against cyber threats is through employee training. Create a business security plan and let your employees participate in it.
Make sure that this plan includes the most effective practices that you expect your employees to follow. Your employees need to know how they can identify spear-phishing attacks and what exactly they need to do to keep important information safe. The plan must contain all the crucial safety measures that the employees must take in case they are targeted.
Online Payments
Care must be taken while making a payment online. Rather than going for a traditional method of payment, it would be better to use a prepaid card. Don’t make the mistake of entering your card details if you are not 100% sure about the authenticity of the website. To authorize the transaction, we would suggest you make use of a double-check mechanism which includes password and SMS code. When it comes to accessing different online services, this mechanism will turn out to be effective.
In addition to that, you need to take the time to monitor your bank account through your cell phone. Consider enabling the email notifications of your bank account to get instant notifications of every activity. In case, any suspicious transaction is made through your account, you will be notified instantly.
Take Time to Upgrade Software
Do the software updates pop up at the most inconvenient times? Are you guilty of dismissing them and saving them for later? The primary reason why you must update your software is to improve the security of the device you are using. This simply means that you won’t have to worry about data breaches. Upgrading your software will not only improve the stability, functionality, and performance of the device, but it will also protect your device from harmful malware attacks. If you want the updates to be installed instantly, then you need to make sure that you are connected to Cox internet.
One thing that you need to remember is that hackers are always in search of vulnerable software. If you have been dismissing updates for a long time, now is the right time to get the software updated. Even if it pops up when you are occupied with something, make sure you install the update. Taking some time to install the update is better than becoming a victim of a data breach.
Don’t Give Your Account Access to Unauthorized People
Don’t ever let unauthorized people access any account or laptop that is a property of the company. Even a trustworthy person should not be allowed to access the company’s sensitive information. For instance, a client comes to talk to you in detail about the services you are offering, and then requests to use your laptop to look up something. Don’t ever let them borrow your laptop.
Also, employees of different positions and ranks are issued different laptops, and accounts. So, they must keep their account information private. For example, a marketing analyst should not share their password with a salesperson.
Ending Note
Cybersecurity is crucial for business of all sizes, even if a company has limited resources to invest in ensuring the protection of its customers’ data. It is the responsibility of a company to do all it can to protect the personal information of its customers. If you are unable to provide complete protection against cyber threats, then you will be certainly at the risk of losing the trust of your customers. Hence, you must consider taking the necessary steps to make your business secure like never before.
