Hackers are thriving in our digitally-reliant workforce, causing a flurry of cyber security concerns for businesses nationwide. Ransomware attacks have been rising each year resulting in claims for malware attacks, funds transfer fraud, data breaches, pretexting attacks, compromised business emails, and more to skyrocket.
Recovering from cyber attacks is expensive and can compromise the sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of your client’s business and its employees. To protect your clients, their staff, and their stakeholders from the damage of malicious cyber attacks, keep in mind the following 11 preventative measures.
First of all, setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra step of identification confirmation. When your client signs in to a site or program, this guarantees they have a second remote way to confirm their identity. There are many ways to do this, but the most common is having a code sent to their phone or an authenticator app. By doing this, you are reducing the risk of cyber crime.
Likewise, utilizing endpoint detection software provides your business with an extra security measure in case of cyber crimes. Endpoints are the servers, user stations, laptops, and other devices accessing your client’s network. This software scans and monitors these connections.
Remote desktop protocol (RDP) access is a method of taking control of a computer remotely. While RDP makes it convenient to access another computer, it gives hackers a way to enter your client’s system that is much less secure than an encrypted VPN. Thus, disabling this access removes a major risk factor for your business.
Maintaining 3-2-1 back-ups, or having three different sources of backing up your client’s data ensures you maintain ownership over your data even in the case of a data breach. Two of these back-ups must be on different mediums or devices, and one must be separate from your client’s systems, either in the cloud or in an on-premise environment. 3-2-1 back-ups need to be separable, remote, and away from the office.
Additionally, utilizing a password manager is simple, yet can reduce cyber risk to your business significantly. Using a password manager can allow your clients to easily use complicated passwords, keep them secure, and regularly update them.
Maintaining privileged access management protocols is important as well. Company servers should be segregated by restrictions, only allowing certain people access to certain files. This eliminates the ability of one breach to jeopardize all system files and maintains the confidentiality of other files.
Utilizing a filtering software blocks also high-risk websites and other sites that pose a risk to your client’s network.
Developing an incident response plan and keeping it offline also greatly reduces risk. If and when servers are compromised, having a plan in place to deal with the fallout expedites recovery and minimizes damage. Incident response plans include contacts, passwords, protocols, and procedures.
Provide proper employee training because a company is only as secure as its least informed employee. The best way to prevent a breach is to train employees to spot malicious intent and demonstrate how to avoid taking actions which could result in potential breaches.
Regularly test your backup systems to ensure proper function. Many companies have backups, yet never test them to check that they are fully functional. Often, these systems fail when trying to restore files and, in the event of a breach, it’s important for your clients to know their backups work.
You additionally should regularly perform penetration testing by deploying mock phishing for employees and/or having third parties attempt to breach your systems to assess security. This acts as a drill for the cyber security plan you have in place.
Overall, it is important to ensure your business has preventative measures in place to protect operations in the unfortunate case of a cyber attack.
Click here to submit a Quote Request
If we have had the pleasure of working with you, we would love for you to leave a review on Google. Your honest thoughts help us improve and grow, and allow potential customers to get a better understanding of what we have to offer. Thank you in advance for your time and support!
