protect your business with these cyber security best practices
Cybercrime for small to mid-sized organizations is increasing. In fact, according to the Global State of Security report, 66% of these organizations have experienced a breach within the last 12 months. Typically, these organizations don’t have the same big budget or resources allocated to cyber security that larger organizations have, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
As cyber threats become more targeted, organizations need to become more proactive in their approach. To assist with this, we’ve compiled a list of six cyber security best practices.
Patching — Patch Management should be a key part of your cyber security strategy. New vulnerabilities are discovered all the time and hackers will exploit these vulnerabilities to gain access to your network. Patching is estimated to prevent up to 85% of all cyber-attacks, failure to do so could be catastrophic for your business.
Two-Factor Authentication — 2FA provides an extra layer of security that can make all the difference between an attempted hack and a business crippling data breach. In addition to a username and password, two-factor authentication requires a second piece of information to confirm the user’s identity. This could be a pin, code, token, or even biometric data such as a fingerprint. With more employees working remotely, two-factor authentication enables them to access company data without compromising corporate networks.
Training for Employees — Effective security awareness training is essential in training employees on how to identify and respond appropriately to the growing range of cyber security threats. All employees, at every level of the organization should receive this training to ensure they are armed with the skills required to identify an attack. Remote working has now become the norm, but it can pose a serious security risk that can leave your organization’s IT network, systems, and devices highly vulnerable to attack. Cybercriminals will take advantage of any lapses in security and the current crisis is providing them with lots of attractive weak points to exploit. Interested in learning more? Consys Group offers Train & Phish Simulation Programs to assist with training your team, email sales@consysgroup.com for more information
Audit Assets — Complete a thorough audit of information assets and data processing activities. This will help determine what your most valuable information assets are, where they are located, and who has access. Once these have areas have been identified you can focus on how each information asset could potentially be compromised. Whether it’s a system breach, malware, or even an insider threat, steps can be taken to improve these processes and reduce the chance of a cybercriminal gaining access to critical systems.
Create an Incident Response Plan — To effectively deal with any incident that may arise, it’s important to have a reporting structure in place that will enable staff to identify and report incidents in a timely manner. The reporting capability will address the full range of incidents that could occur and set out appropriate responses. The supporting policy, processes, and plans should be risk-based and cover any regulatory reporting requirements. The establishment of an incident response plan will help educate and inform staff, improve organizational structures, improve customer and stakeholder confidence, and reduce any potential financial impact following a major incident.
As always, your Consys Group team is here to assist with any questions or concerns relating to your IT needs or requirements.
Questions about setting your business up for success? We’re here to help.
Consys Group Inc. 226-973-9208
Source: MetaCompliance
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