Cyber threats and attacks are some of the perils of using the internet for your business. In the wake of technology, the use of the internet has penetrated up to a great extent in our business. Though it has simplified business operations by manifolds, one can’t overlook the constant threat that comes in the form of identity leak, data steal and malware attacks.
Just as the use of internet has increased, the possibility of being mobbed by a cyber threat has also increased exponentially. As per the FBI report, there are more than 4,000 ransomware attacks are happening on a daily basis.
The main reason for such a high number of cyber attacks is that they come in disguise and in the form of an email that we all use quite often. Verizon’s 2018 Breach Investigations report revealed that 92% of malware is delivered via emails only.
All these numbers are very scary and heighten the urgency to have a cybersecurity system by your side immediately. Though taking it on board would be easy for you if you are a big gun, it will cost you a fortune if you are a start-up or an individual professional.
Don’t worry. As they say, “Every problem has a solution”, you can easily combat the cyber attacks after being little observant. Here are some ways that one should know to win the battle against the cyber attacks.
Make your password a tough nut to crack
Well, this one of the most obvious loose end in a business that further leads to a cyber attack. When your employees are using weak passwords to login in their organizational systems, they are primarily making it more predisposed to the cyber attacks. Cyber attackers are admittedly one of the sharpest minds that take note of every movement on their victims. And a weak password is like a jackpot for them. It confers them easy access to your business data and records.
A simple step of having a tough password can totally avoid this situation. Here is how you can make your password strong:
- Use lower case, upper case, character, and digits in your password.
- Don’t include any personal detail like DOB, anniversary data and so on.
- Keeping on changing it frequently.
- Set-up a Two-factor authentication system to restrict the login process.
This simply makes a big difference when it comes to safeguarding you against any sort of cyber attacks.
Pro tip – Get open source password manager software and let it handle the tedious task.
Data encryption is the key
When it comes to business, all information is important. Noting is useless. Thus, it is important to encrypt your data before flowing it within and outside the organization. In general, data encryption is the process of safeguard your data by using another set of passwords. One must enter a specific password to open a particular file or document.
Data encryption is basically one of the most crucial steps taking in the direction to diminish the cyber attack possibilities. Your application either web or mobile and android app development should be developed on the latest trend on cutting edge technology that will highly help to protect your data. Even if a cybercriminal has hacked your system or cloud-space, he still needs to sweat out a little to open the file or document that contains crucial information. This way you double secure your data.
In case you are using cloud space very frequently to share and save your documents, using pre-encryption software is also an intelligent move. It will encrypt your data before it goes to the cloud space. Thus, prevent the cloud space to read your data. That way your data become resilient enough to break down easily.
Pro tip – If you are using internet connection try to use HTTPS Everywhere. It is a browser extension that directs your connection automatically to the secure version of any site you are visiting.
Have an intrusion detection tool by your side
“So, a hacker is eyeing on your data. What if you caught him red-handed?”
Yes. It is practically possible with the help of a good intrusion detection tool. Fundamentally, an intrusion detection tool is software or system that continuously monitors your systems, internet connection, and data spaces and recognizes any malicious activity in its infancy stage and apprises you about the same. This timely intimation precludes any major damage in the future.
Pro tip – If you have multiple intrusion detection tools operating for you, it is better to conceive your own update server. Using this strategy subdues the bandwidth used by the intrusion detection tool drastically.
Take controlled access on board
When your crucial information is open to all, chances are high that you are the easy target for the hackers. It makes you vulnerable. However, you can prevent this totally by putting restrictions on data access. Just simple make PC, network connection and other components password protected and avoid any evil invasion.
While doing this, make sure that you provide role-based access control as it further strengthens the security of your enterprise data. This simple step reduces the probability of being attacked by an unauthorized person and gives you great mental peace.
Pro tip – Access control is complex. It is better to carry out regular audits and don’t permit any one-off changes.
Final words
We are living in a digital era where cyber attacks are as omnipresent as grass. If you want to thrive in, then act smart and just pay attention to some important factors. Just being little vigilant and pro-active will safeguard you against all those cyber evils for once and all. All we conscious of online activity and never tell to any other about your personal online assets.
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