Tips for Protecting Your Business from Cyber Security Threats

Doing your business online presents many opportunities to reach your audience and expand your operations. However, with the exclusive benefits also come the threats.

According to PurpleSec, over 50 percent of cybersecurity attacks are targeted toward small and medium businesses. They also added that each company goes through around 130 security breaches annually.

That means the cybersecurity threat exists. Business owners like you could prevent it before it happens and protect yourself if the unfortunate occurs.

In this article, we will share some tips for protecting your business cybersecurity; stay tuned.

1) Understand the common tools and tactics used by cybercriminals

All cyber criminals are cut from the same cloth. They commit the crime using the same tools as everyone else. Being familiar with these lines of attack is the first step to protecting your business’s cybersecurity.

Here are two tactics they usually use:

• Malware: Malware is the collective name used to describe any kind of malicious software, which includes spyware, viruses, and ransomware. Your computer gets infected with malware when you click a malicious link or download inauthentic programs or files that seek to corrupt and steal your data.

• Phishing: Phishing attacks to trick users into voluntarily disclosing sensitive information like their password, bank information, and social security number. Phishers operate by impersonating official entities through email, messages, or calls.

2) Familiarize yourself with terms associated with cybersecurity threats

Not all cybersecurity threats are computer attacks; there are other ways cybercriminals could exploit the cyber weaknesses of your business. Knowing these terms allows you to respond accordingly and seek the right help for your situation.

There are two types of cybersecurity threats: computer attacks and cyber extortion.

Computer attacks can be further divided into three things:

• Unauthorized use. You are gaining access to your computer system by unauthorized people with malicious intent or unauthorized purposes.
• Malware attacks. This refers to the damage to your computer system, corruption of data or unauthorized access to data resulting from malicious attacks. This includes viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and keyloggers.
• Denial of service attacks. An attempt by cybercriminals to disrupt hosting services that result in your machine or network resource becoming unavailable to you.

Cyber extortion, on the other hand, is when criminals threaten to release confidential information publicly or shut down a computer system unless a ransom is paid.

3) Train your employees

Unfortunately, your employees themselves can jeopardize the cybersecurity of your business. Educate them on the importance of strong passwords, avoiding phishing scams, and not accessing company information from personal devices. Implement strict policies for acceptable internet usage and remind employees never to share sensitive information online or through email.

Carrying out some risk lets you see who has access to sensitive data. You may encrypt some key information to maintain privacy. Furthermore, asking your team to engage in two-factor authentication helps significantly.

4) Set a cyber security policy for your business

When push comes to shove, you need a cyber risk coverage policy to protect your business’s cyber security. Northeast– MetroWest Insurance Agency offers cyber security policies for business owners like you. Click here so we can send one of our agents to discuss your options.