If you are in the idea that your small business is immune from cyber attacks then think again, as your over confidence could cost your small business a lot. It is quite common that small business owners skip the security measures completely and this is the prime reason that they fall prey to the hackers easily and their business gets devastated if vital info falls in hand of the hackers. To important things that affect hacking threat are what is the duty of your company and with whom your company works with.
Certain companies are at a higher risk of falling prey to the hackers like finance, telecommunications, manufacturing etc. Usually small businesses that are with weak security systems fall prey to attacks more. So it is important that there are 5 simple tips to protect your company from attacks.
1. Data Encryption
Data encryption will make sure that your company’s vital and sensitive info is not at stake when your employee loses any vital info or when your company’s system is hacked. There are many encryptions software and tools that help you keep your data safe, these will make it hard for a hacker to read the data who cannot provide the correct password. There are different data encryption features for different computer soft wares. For Windows it is Bitlocker, for Mac users it is the Filevault.
2. Employee education
The most common ways hackers use to access a network is via phishing emails. Hackers use email messages to tail your business . When you click on a link which contains a malicious code they mail you, your system will be hacked. So as the business owner you need to educate your employees about the threat of opening such phishing emails or clicking on any suspicious links. Educating your employees on the cyber security will help you prevent cyber attacks. Apart from that employees should also be aware that apps should not be downloaded on their smart phones from untrustworthy sources.
3. Learn about your network
Business owners should know what is happening in their network, if any suspicious activity happens, take precautions before the hacker completely takes over your data. So in order to prevent your vital data from being compromised hire a full time security expert who is trained for this purpose. If you have a low budget and cannot a full time security expert for your small business then use a open source software like Security Onion which you can install on your server. To monitor what is happening inside your network. It might appear so that you might not understand the meaning of the log, but in case you suspect an attack because the normal options are not properly functioning or if you find the disappearance of funds then you can take the help of a security expert by giving them the idea of what has been happening.
4. Secure your bank accounts
Many banks support the multifactor authentication for logging into bank’s website. It means that your account will require a phone confirmation apart from a password when you try to access your bank account. This way you will be able to make it harder for the cyber criminals to access your info. It is also advisable to use a separate computer for banking online. This way you will be successful in preventing yourself from downloading malware from phishing emails and links from your computer, which will record your bank password’s keystrokes.
5. Protect your devices when you travel
In certain high risk countries it can happen so that your computers might be checked when you are out of your hotel room. So, it is best to keep your Laptops, iPad’s etc with you all the time. If it is not possible for you then avoid storing important data on your computer and you must clean it when you get home before connecting your device to other networks.
