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How to protect your company from emerging cyber threats

3 Mins read
How to protect from cyber attacks

In recent years, more companies have found themselves having to deal with increased cyber attacks. The loss of corporate data is a severe problem that companies can only avoid if they implement various cybersecurity solutions and train their employees well.

Train employees

The greatest vulnerability in a company’s cybersecurity is usually the human factor. Employees are often the weak link. That’s why it’s imperative to train them properly in all aspects of cybersecurity so they know the most significant risks and how to mitigate them. To do this, it may be a good idea to contact IT security specialists and organize mandatory training within the company.

Enforce a strong password policy

Employees usually have dozens of passwords to access their work platforms. It’s crucial that these passwords are strong and difficult to guess.

A good password is at least 12 characters long and consists of numbers, letters, and special symbols. Reusing the same password for different services should never be allowed because it can compromise all accounts if a password is leaked.

Using a password manager is the way to go. This software allows users to generate and store all their passwords. The employees only need to remember one password – the master password that unlocks their password manager vault. It makes using unique passwords for individual services much more manageable.

Use two-factor authentication

Apart from a good password, it’s helpful to implement an additional layer of security for accessing accounts. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is here to help.

With 2FA, services request to enter an additional code after the password is validated. When an employee enters the password to access an account, the system generates a code, valid only for a few minutes, sent via SMS or email, which they must enter on the login page.

Alternatively, the code can also be generated by an authenticator app. Without this code, access to the account is denied. It may sound like an extra hassle, but it can prevent an attack if the password is brute-forced or exposed in a data breach.

Install security software

It’s not news that everyone should use security software to scan files for viruses. Antiviruses exist for as long as malware does. It’s a crucial tool to prevent an attack or malware infection when employees need to download files or open dozens of emails daily.

Another useful security tool is a VPN. They are beneficial for securing internet connection and data in transit. For employees who work from home, using a VPN is essential: connecting to potentially insecure networks requires an extra layer of security. VPNs are also valuable for the company to protect the entire corporate network.

Make periodic backups

One of the most significant risks for businesses is ransomware attacks. Ransomware is a malicious program that completely blocks access to devices, networks, or data until a ransom is paid.

Once installed, getting rid of ransomware without losing access to all locked data is virtually impossible. But you can prevent potential issues if your company regularly backs up all the business data.

Keeping data and backups secure is another issue. Ransomware attackers could blackmail you if they get their hands on sensitive information or corporate secrets. That’s where data encryption comes into play.

Encrypt data

Sometimes data theft is unavoidable. Then encryption is the last line of defense. Encrypting data means making it unreadable by anyone who does not have the appropriate cryptographic key to decrypt it. By implementing a solution of this type, even if a hacker could take possession of critical data, they would not be able to know what information they actually got.

You can add encryption to your business in many ways. Use encrypted cloud storage, a VPN for encrypting data in transit, and use cryptographic tools to encrypt data at rest. The latter can be used for all types of files and their backups.

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