Many people’s quality of life has improved due to technological advancements. Things that did not exist thirty years ago are now abundant. So, technology is excellent in many respects. However, technological advancements have a more sinister side.
Cybersecurity attacks have risen as technology has gotten more sophisticated and as more traffic travels through the Internet of Things (IoT). Cyber hackers are adopting sophisticated technologies to hack or steal valuable information from individuals and businesses. Therefore, no one is safe.
As a result, corporations must now devise cyber defense strategies to protect themselves from cyberattacks. Most businesses have sensitive information that they can’t afford to lose. Therefore, investing in cybersecurity defense has become somewhat imperative. That said, here are some strategies to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
- Train Employees
Training employees is essential because they’re often in the loophole that cyber hackers manipulate to hack an organization. Your employees are the ones who interact most with your technology. Therefore, they’re a feasible target for hackers. Unsuspecting employees could fall for cheap scams, costing your business significant amounts of money.
Training will equip them to know the various ways in which cybersecurity attacks occur. It would also help train them about the system vulnerabilities in your business so that they are extra mindful about the sites and networks they connect to daily. Also, if your organization uses Microsoft products, you might want to train them on how to configure office macro settings and why it’s crucial from a cybersecurity standpoint. Forewarned is forearmed.
- Implement Firewalls and Antivirus Software
Your mitigation strategy is incomplete without having antivirus software and firewalls. There are many antivirus software solutions on the market. But you need to look for one that suits your needs and is highly secure. You also want one that offers regular updates.
Firewalls are designed to add an extra layer of security to your organization’s networks. You wouldn’t want a hacker to gain access to your main network because they could access every other device on that network. Therefore, you need to invest in a solid firewall that acts as an additional layer of defense. Firewalls will constantly be monitoring network activity. If any suspicious activity is picked up, it’ll notify you. So, it also prevents any irreversible damage from being caused by potential hackers. Only ensure you invest in the right firewall system for your organization.
- Encrypt and Backup
Encryption is a great way to protect your sensitive files. Hackers can easily breach your servers and access these important files if you don’t encrypt your data. Data encryption, on the other hand, restricts access to these files. Only those who have the encryption key will be able to access the data. So, encryption makes it much more difficult for hackers to infiltrate. Furthermore, you can configure some encryption software to notify you if someone attempts to access these encrypted files. As a result, the stronger your encryption, the better.
In addition, you need to regularly backup your company data. A company simply cannot afford to lose all of its critical data. That is why backups are essential. Backups ensure that you won’t lose all of your company’s data even if a breach occurs. Furthermore, backups serve as a safeguard in the event that a system fails to update successfully. Data loss can cause productivity disruptions without a robust backup solution, affecting your revenues. As a result, investing in a solid backup solution for your company is preferable.
- Keep Software Up To Date
It would help if you kept your software up to date because updates often contain bug fixes. These tend to patch up vulnerabilities in previous versions of the software you have. These bug fixes could therefore result in increased security. The most critical software you should keep up to date is the antivirus software and firewall.
- Use Strong Passwords
A significant amount of data breaches occur on account of poor passwords. Some people don’t set strong passwords because they fear that they could forget them. But that’s a fatal mistake. If you’re afraid you might forget, you’d much rather use a password manager and store your strong or complicated passwords. You might also need to urge your employees to set strong passwords if you’re a company.
Hackers now have access to sophisticated password cracking technology. So, they only need a small loophole to hack anything. Therefore, simple passwords aren’t enough anymore. You need to set solid passwords and activate multi-factor authentication to make your accounts more secure.
- Have A Killswitch
If a cybersecurity breach has occurred, it would be best to have a kill switch in place to prevent a total loss. This is a reactive strategy that a business should deploy as soon as a cyberattack is spotted. It should be able to shut out hackers from the system, preventing further damage.
- Establish Cybersecurity Policy
It would be ideal if you also implemented a cybersecurity policy. It simply details how your organization plans on dealing with cybersecurity breaches. Having one in place makes it easier for people to respond since they know which steps to take. This is also where you could outline the disaster recovery plan outlining the steps to take if an attack occurs. Prevention is undoubtedly better than cure. But having a plan is necessary just in case an unfortunate happens.
Infographic created by MXOtech, a chicago cloud hosting company
Conclusion
Having a cybersecurity strategy is extremely important. The threat of cyberattacks is increasing, and it posits businesses and individuals to establish robust cyber defenses. For those businesses that have dedicated IT staff, it could be easier to establish a solid strategy. However, it would be ideal to consult cybersecurity professionals who can help you develop a solid cyber defense strategy for your business.
