We have explored how tech has gradually taken over our lives in recent times, why our reliance on it has reached new heights and how this reliance has opened doors to cyber criminals that were previously firmly closed. But we also said that by no means are technological advancements solely to blame for the rise in cyber crime – they are simply the match, and a lack of education is the spark that ignites the fire. Business owners simply aren’t educating their teams sufficiently on the methods that cyber criminals are using to gain access to the organisation’s sensitive data or to the disastrous effects that it could have for them going forward.
We are familiar with some of the most common forms of cyber attack that allow cyber criminals access to your data, so the next step is to explore the ways in which you can prepare your systems and team to prevent the worst from happening.
How to be best prepared for a cyber attack
Education
Education is the best form of preparation for an attack. Most employees have no idea what their role is in the protection of vital business systems – or just how important they are to the continued success, and safety, of those systems.
Passwords
Every online profile needs a unique password that is made up of a variety of different letters and numbers. Every password in your organisation needs to be unique, bear no resemblance to any other, and have no connection to the user. Avoid any words, phrases, or numbers that have a personal meaning to you. As we explained earlier, being unique is essential and using the same password will – if the criminal is successful – open the floodgates to your entire system being hacked.
Multi factor authentication
Multi factor authentication requires additional access criteria to gain access, alongside the correct username / password combination we already discussed. This added information is usually something that only the authorised person would know, and usually comes in the form of a personal security question or a code sent to a personal device, for example.
Test passwords
You must test the quality of all your passwords. There are many different tools on the market that will highlight the quality and strength of the passwords in your organisation; using a tool like this allows you to change your password at your whim if they don’t quite meet the standard you expect. For those that use Microsoft, their Safety and Security Centre contains a tool that will allow you to do exactly this with no need to download new apps.
Secure Mobile devices
Mobile devices are now not just a tool that provides us with streaming and internet surfing, or recreational activities, but have become vital in everyday business functions. It is this that makes the security of your device a big concern – if you lost the device or it was stolen, access won’t be a problem for a cyber criminal, unless you have implemented adequate security measures on it. All portable devices must have pin/password protection as standard practice in the organisation, and, if you feel necessary, fingerprint or facial recognition too. Yes, it is frustrating having to go through a long drawn out security process just to gain access to your own systems but, to ensure the safety of your data, it is more than worth it.
The security of your IT landscape is your responsibility, but it is not a battle you can fight alone - your team must play their part too.
The human Firewall
The human Firewall is your first, best, and main line of defence. Your users must know their importance and be educated on their role in the safety of your systems. They can – as we explained throughout the articles – inadvertently be the bridge the cyber criminals use to gain access to your systems and steal your data.
We hope you now feel more confident in understanding what the Dark Web is, and the severity of not preparing your system with the security measures capable of protecting your data from cyber criminals.
Secure your organisation
AsiaCloud Solutions provides high-quality, reliable, and cost-effective Managed IT services to help your organisation succeed with IT. We offer a combination of enterprise-grade technology along with a fast, scalable, personalised service. We provide world-class IT you can rely on at affordable prices, with our specialists supporting you with a proactive service from right here in Singapore. Get in contact and find out what we can do for you.
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