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What is Cyber Security?

Information technology is developing rapidly, and businesses need to use modern solutions to keep up with the changes. In common terms, cybersecurity refers to the protection of corporate data stored and transmitted using digital and online instruments—for example, commercial data, personal data, details of operations, and strategic plans.

However, many businesses transfer a growing share of their operational and financial activities to online platforms, and the problem of ensuring the security of these actions is also equally significant.

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What Are the Most Common Causes of Cyber-Attacks?

Most often, cyber-attacks are undertaken to receive money from the company in exchange for its own data. Attackers or intruders may attack through viruses, spyware, malware, and trojan horses, for gaining access to secure data. They can even ask for a ransom to provide back control over data.

Some other ways of getting access to data are also used, for example, the use of misleading emails, telephone calls, or websites, when employees of the firm by mistake report passwords or secret data to intruders. Once intruders gains control over the secure data or computer systems, they can even threaten to sell the information to competitors or publish it.

Here Are Other Ways by Which Data Can be Lost

Ironically, it is much more likely that cybersecurity measures can get compromised by the firm’s own employees. If that’s the case and it’s done intentionally, it falls under the category of hacker attacks.

However, in most cases, cybersecurity is under threat because of the negligence of employees. Some of the common reasons are like loss of gadgets with saved passwords, leaving workplaces with computers or laptops logged in, and blurting out information related to cybersecurity to outsiders.

Who Are the Main Target of the Intruders?

A corporation with vast resources can build multi-level security systems that are not easy to bypass or hack. Each attempt at hacking a security system of a large company becomes an information occasion, and the media cover it.

Meanwhile, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who do not have such resources are easy targets for attacks. Also, it’s much easier for intruders to hack SMEs who have weak cybersecurity measures.

Why Is Cybersecurity Essential?

The logic behind protecting data is simple. It is often cheaper to undertake security measures than to suffer huge losses associated with loss of data and assets. Besides, an increase in the number and intensity of cyber-attacks is trending globally, and the losses may be significant. Therefore, it makes sense to address the problems related to cybersecurity immediately.

Here Are Some of the Methods to Keep Yourself Safe From Online Threats

An effective cybersecurity system should contain measures to prevent loss of data and unauthorized access of sensitive data from both intruders and employees.

Limited Access Control

Employees should be provided with a limited amount of access. They must be able to access information that is required to meet their responsibilities. Any other employee should not have access to additional relevant information or data, such as the entire volume of financial and accounting information. Thus, discrimination in access to information is a must.

By providing limited and required access to the company’s data, it’s possible to keep a large amount of data safe, even if someone tries to misuse the available information.

Timely Updates of Software and Hardware

The next measure is to update hardware and software on a timely basis. Outdated hardware or software can cause lags and mistakes in the work of a firm.

  • First, official versions of products should be used. It not only ensures the legality of work but also reduces the probability of attacking through loopholes and susceptibilities of pirated versions of software products.
  • Second, the software should be regularly updated. It refers to both special protecting software such as anti-viruses and firewalls and software used for business functioning such as office programs, CAD programs, and design programs.

Standardization of Software Used for Business

This point is tightly connected with the previous one. The list of software used by all employees should be standardized, which means an entire company must employ the same software and the same versions of products.

The cybersecurity department should eliminate the possibilities for installing third-party or unlicensed software as attackers can inject malicious code and thus bypass all other security barriers. It also refers to the use of portable hard drives, USB flash drives, smartphones, and similar gadgets.

Employee Education and Training in Terms of Cybersecurity to Create a Security-Focused Culture

Another important measure is to create and gradually develop a security-oriented culture in your organization. While top managers and owners are aware of potential problems and losses that cyber-attacks may bring, but there’s no surety that every employee may know about it.

Some employees may think that losing a smartphone with saved passwords or giving a password to outsiders does not influence anything and cannot be harmful. Therefore, it’s crucial to explain the importance of compliance with safety precautions and what consequences their violation might entail.

Another measure that must be taken by the security or IT department is providing employees with personal user accounts and strong passwords that cannot be guessed by anyone. It’s also essential to make sure that employees remember their logins and passwords instead of keeping them written in easily accessible places.

If the proper measures are taken, then it’s sure that it’ll significantly reduce the probability of getting easy access to company data. It’s also desirable to minimize the time if a user remains logged in to the system, and it’s idle. Moreover, computers should be configured so that they log off after a short period of inactivity. Lastly, it’s also essential to explain the necessity of logging out when employees leave their working place.

Another useful measure that must be considered is to employ two-factor authentication. It gives the extra layer of security to access the system by providing not only a password but also a special password, which is sent to an email or a smartphone. Thus, it guarantees that only a certain employee who uses a gadget or an email will be able to enter the system.

Regular Backups of Data

Regular data backups should not be ignored or taken for granted. Sensitive data can be damaged inadvertently. However, if a copy of data exists, this may not become a serious problem since the data can be easily restored from reserve storage. Though, these can be remote servers or cloud spaces, which must be protected appropriately.

Data Encryption

Finally, it’s useful to encrypt data, especially essential ones such as personal and financial data. So, even if the intruders steal these data, they will not be able to use it due to a lack of decryption codes. Thus, if the encryption key is complex, even the loss of data will not harm the business.

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Final Thoughts

Employing these measures in your business’s cybersecurity will prove beneficial. Not only to protect your customers and relevant data, but it’ll also ensure that your business will not be the target for security threats. Also, maintaining security, updating software, and limiting employee access is equally important in your business’s operations.

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About the Author :

About Anna Clarke

anna-clarkeAnna Clarke is the owner of an online writing company, 15 Writers. She is a successful entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in freelancing, academic dissertation writing consulting, specializing in Business, Economics, Finance, Marketing, and Management.See Author’s Website

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