In this digital era, technology is becoming more and more advanced with each passing day. At the same time, fraudulent practices are also evolving because cybercriminals are constantly coming up with new ways to hack business networks and steal individuals’ sensitive information. Unfortunately, the more you rely on technology, the more vulnerable you become to security threats and hacks. These security breaches can have tremendous impacts that are usually very difficult to recover from. Here are the common types of security threats you need to be on the lookout for and how to address them.
Phishing
Phishing is the method where hackers disguise emails to gather personal and private information. Unfortunately, phishing emails are appearing more and more sophisticated as cybercriminals are getting smarter at deceiving recipients, making it very difficult for you to gauge the email’s trustworthiness. It’s important to learn how to detect these emails and avoid these types of scams.
The content usually depicts a venerable looking website, some that you may recognize, such as Netflix or Apple, and may ask you to click on a link to make a payment. Another common phishing email asks you to confirm personal information or claims that they’ve noticed some unusual or suspicious activity on one of your accounts, etc. Keep an eye out for any of these types of emails and never respond or hand over your credit card details – no matter how legitimate the email may look, they’re not. The best way to protect your email from these scams is to enable spam filters on your account, use security software, back up your data, and use 2-factor authentication.
Malware
Viruses and malware are sneaky little things because they manage to worm their way into your system even when you have a firewall in place. Moreover, security software could already be installed, yet users sometimes turn the firewall off or change its settings due to its constant intrusion.
Prevent malware and viruses from getting through by installing anti-malware software or digitally signed software by code signing certificate. This software will immediately identify any malicious threats. However, anti-malware can only efficiently run if it is up to date, so don't ignore its notifications.
Human Error
The absence of security measures or poor employee training can leave you vulnerable to the largest security threats and data breaches. If your employees are not aware of the security practices they must follow, they will most likely be susceptible to fraudulent practices, putting your organization in jeopardy. Luckily, this problem can easily be solved by providing all your staff with efficient training regarding security procedures and regularly following up with them to ensure they follow protocol.
You must demonstrate the importance of these security procedures by taking the time to learn how to avoid security threats. As a business owner, you can work on improving your workplace security standards by taking an online course that teaches you how to identify and avoid different types of cyber-attacks. If you and your employees enroll in a trusted compliance training course, your business will be better off for it.
Ignoring Software Updates
As mentioned above, all software operates better when they get frequent updates. These updates are designed to provide better security and efficiency for your computer or device. They involve improved systems to correct issues that occurred during the previous update, so always check for updates and don’t hesitate to give your software the necessary upgrades. Even if the timing is inconvenient, you are preventing any vulnerabilities from persisting.
Weak Passwords
It should be blatantly obvious that weak passwords are prone to hacks, yet this is still one of the most common issues in IT security. Data theft and security breaches are usually a result of poor passwords. Enable 2-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security. However, you must still choose strong and rare passwords and avoid leaving your login information at a default setting.
Mobile and Personal Access to Data
Even efficient security procedures can’t protect an organization if the employees aren’t cautious when granted data access. If your staff have access to corporate data on their private laptops and devices, it can cause a bigger threat if one of their devices is compromised allowing cyber criminals access to all company data. Similarly, employees who enter corporate networks through unsecured networks are putting all company data at risk of a breach.
Consider providing all your employees with work devices to access data to avoid using their own laptops and unknown networks, or require employees to strengthen security on their own devices before accessing the company network.
It’s best to learn all that you can about the security breaches that may befall you so you can take preventative measures to avoid them rather than deal with their detrimental aftermath. Aside from employing the appropriate software and security measures, it’s also important to avoid human errors that often occur because we simply don’t understand the risks associated with certain actions.
