Cyber attacks on companies cause a great deal of damage. Most notably, they are disruptive to the objectives and operations of corporations. To minimize these effects, it would be helpful if organizations could detect, prevent, and mitigate cyber threats more effectively. This article outlines six simple steps your company can take to maximize its cyber security posture.
1. Adopt an Effective Anti-Virus Solution
To prevent hackers from compromising your company’s computers, you must have anti-virus software installed and configured correctly. Anti-virus programs use heuristics to identify known viruses and worms that hackers can upload to infect your company’s computers. Unfortunately, many companies employ outdated anti-virus solutions and need to update their software regularly. It is important to note that anti-virus solutions can only detect malware; they cannot wholly prevent hackers from taking advantage of vulnerabilities within your corporate infrastructure.
2. Train Your Employees in Cyber Security Awareness
To implement an effective cyber security strategy, you must be aware of the potential threats that your company is facing. By conducting regular training sessions for your employees, you can raise their awareness and empower them with the knowledge that will help them recognize malicious emails and other attacks. Your employees should be educated on anti-virus software and encouraged to take preventative measures regularly.
3. Keep Software Updated
To minimize the damage caused by cyber-attacks, you must ensure that all your software is regularly updated. This includes operating systems, applications, and plug-ins. If your software is not updated, it will be vulnerable to malware that exploits these vulnerabilities. To protect your company’s computers in the short term, you should install patches as soon as they become available. In the long term, you should assess whether upgrading the software is cost-effective to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
4. Secure Your Wi-Fi Network
Your company, even if it’s just a baby boutique, will be at risk for cyber-attacks if you do not secure your Wi-Fi network. All data transmitted over a wireless connection can be intercepted by hackers, even if the Wi-Fi network is encrypted. Hackers can now intercept, modify, and even steal sensitive data from unencrypted wireless networks, increasing the need for organizations to implement methods to ensure that their wireless networks are secure.
5. Ensure a Strong Password Policy
You must require employees to use strong passwords to avoid password phishing attacks. These passwords should be a minimum of eight characters in length and should not contain the following common words: “password,” “12345”, or “qwerty.” Additionally, your company should use complex passwords that include a combination of capital letters and numbers. Finally, all employees must regularly change their passwords to minimize the risk of being compromised by hackers.
6. Use a Firewall
Even if your company is using an effective anti-virus solution, if your computer systems are connected to the Internet, they can still be infected by hackers and other malicious software. To prevent hackers from accessing your system, you should use a network firewall that blocks all incoming connections. Additionally, you must regularly update your firewall software to protect against new threats.
Cyber security is an ever-changing process requiring your organization to remain vigilant and nimble to protect its systems from digital intrusion. To remain effective, companies must implement an anti-virus software solution and train their employees on how to effectively use this program and any other cyber security programs they may be using. Finally, you should ensure that network communications are secure by employing a firewall that blocks all incoming connections.