Cyber Security Risks You Need to be Aware of as a Business World
Cyber security practices need to be a priority for business owners. There are countless threats that are nowadays reality. Unfortunately, online businesses are often targeted by hackers. This happens simply because of not being aware of the existence of a risk in the first place. The rise of information security services is normal as there is a real need for protection.
If you are a business owner, you want to know what to expect. Always protect yourself from the following really big cyber security risks most businesses have to deal with right now.
People
By far, the biggest cyber security threat for a business is the staff. Employees can click on some links that are bad or fall for phishing emails. As a result, the business ends up being compromised. Staff members are always the greatest possible liability for a company.
Unfortunately, it is hard to tackle this problem but you need to take proper steps to educate all employees. It will be difficult but employers have to create training programs that educate about how to use company assets so that they do not end up being exploited.
Passwords
Every single account that is associated with a business has to be secured by a very strong password. Whenever possible, adding 2FA (two-factor authentication) is recommended. All the people that work for the business have to be taught that the same password should never be used twice. The IT policy needs to include this, together with the responsibility of changing passwords every month or so. Employees should never be allowed to share passwords. This does sound obvious but such a rule is rarely respected.
Lack Of Patch Management
Software updates are vital for the security of a business. Most hacking happens because a patch was not installed on time. Critical vulnerabilities are always found in operating systems and programs. You need to patch them as soon as a fix is available.
Hackers always target corporate networks because of the huge amounts of information that they can steal. Unfortunately, most businesses fail to patch the programs that are used. This is usually simply because of the fact that there is no patch management policy in place.
Simply put, business owners need to be sure that patches are installed as soon as they are available.
Other Companies
Business partnerships are more common than ever. This means that companies now have to worry about their security and the security of their partners. You can have the best possible cyber security practices in place and become vulnerable when you work with a third party that becomes compromised. Hackers can gain access to your network through the access they gain to the third party network.
Bring Your Own Device
Businesses often embrace BYOD (bring your own device) and they allow employees to use personal laptops or other devices when working. There are clear advantages to doing this but cyber security can become a problem. Whenever employees are allowed to bring devices to work, be sure that they are properly trained and fully understand how to secure their devices.
