Establishing a web presence is now necessary for any business that wants to cover a large customer base. But being on the web also means your business is exposed to cyber threats and security breaches. Juniper Research done in 2018 predicts that security breached will likely cost businesses 146 billion in records by 2023.
This means that cybersecurity attacks are continuing to rise and targeting businesses of all sizes. Unfortunately, most of the threats are fueled by mistakes within the company. Your business needs to understand mistakes with cybersecurity to help protect them from such attacks.
This article contains a list of eight cybersecurity mistakes you should avoid to protect your business from common cyber threats.
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Focusing Only on Viruses
We’ll know that malware is one of the biggest security threats for businesses. But investing a lot in an antivirus is not the solution to this. The technology used in antivirus is not enough to alleviate the advanced threats posed by malware.
The signature-based technology will not function as expected if it has not seen the kind of various before. It’s no secret that many security threats are not malware-based but work through phishing; hence can’t be solved by mere antivirus use.
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SMBs Think Their Organizations Are Not Targeted
Many organizations have this perception that they’re exempted from cyberattacks. This perception is common among small and medium-sized businesses that think they have nothing of interest that can expose them to attackers. This is not true because any business can encounter cyberattacks and data breaches.
As long as you’re in business, then your company must have something valuable to the attackers. A study focusing on small and medium-sized businesses found that up to 67% of SMBs have experienced cyberattacks with 58% having gone through data breach in 12 months.
Therefore, it’s essential to understand that as long as your business has a digital presence, it must adopt reliable cybersecurity measures.
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Using Public Network
Public WiFi is becoming very common in most places, including hotels, airports, and even parks. While you can be happy to benefit from the free and reliable internet connection, you’ll be putting your business at great risk.
If you care about the welfare of your business, you’ll be careful not to use the free network whenever you find one. These are common places to encounter malicious malware attacks or get in the hands of ruthless hackers.
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Thinking It’s an IT Issue
Having a reliable digital security team doesn’t mean that you’re completely protected from any kind of cyberattack. Yes, the IT team plays a big role in ensuring your business is up to date with all technical matters, including new security threats. But this doesn’t mean the entire company has to rely on that full-time.
All the data belongs to the business, and it, therefore, needs to play a big role in ensuring security. Your organization needs to own and drive all the security controls of the business. Everyone in the firm should be accountable for the security of the company.
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Not Carrying Out Security Awareness Training
Since security is the concern of everyone in the organization, some awareness training is therefore important. Some security breaches happen as a result of human error or simply ignorance. Improper data storage, opening phishing emails, and shadow IT are some employee activities that expose your business.
Your team should be aware of all the malicious attempts, methods hackers use, and the latest malware types. They should know everything from how they should protect their laptops to their social engineering identification. The entire team should be trained on how to properly store or share data.
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Underestimating the Power of Hackers
Many security breaches in business occur as a result of hacking. Hackers continue to invent sneakier approached to get to your business. They have mastered all the complicated technologies, including social engineering, phishing, and open-source intelligence.
Hackers can steal your data, gain access to your business, and do their things unnoticed. Several data breaches happen for several months before your business can notice any malicious activity. Many SMBs don’t have strategies to stop hackers and only realize when the damage is done.
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Not Focusing on Internal Threat
Not all cybersecurity issues that befall a business come from outside. Internal threats are also rampant in any business and can be more dangerous because they’re closest to the business. Sometimes the threat can be due to negligence, but other times they’re activities of a malicious insider.
As far as the people inside the organization need to be trusted and have user privileges, some types of data can’t get in the hands of everyone. Only authorized people should access sensitive data so that the organization knows the people responsible in case of a problem.
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Improper Password Management
The easiest way an attacker can gain access to the organization is through the use of passwords. Weak passwords cause most forced business attacks. Weak passwords include using names, dates of births, or simply 123456.
Your business should think of stronger password use to protect the business from both outside and inside attacks. Proper passwords management is one of the ways to protect product information. Better online security will also ensure you sufficiently manage product information online.
One way to do this is to adapt passwords with letters, symbols, and numbers. You should also have different passwords for multiple accounts and download desktop apps that help store passwords.
Avoid Mistakes With Cyber Security for Businesses
In the face of the challenges that businesses face from cyber attackers, cybersecurity should be a priority for every business owner. A simple vulnerability can be exploited by hackers to introduce their malicious software into the system.
It is for this reason that businesses must avoid mistakes with cybersecurity.
Combating cyber threats is no easy job. That’s why you need to read our posts for more effective tips on how to protect your business from hackers.
