If you run a small business, you may not think that cyber-security is important; you might be thinking that no one would be interested in stealing your data, yet if the truth be known, every business is at risk of data theft.
Here are a few tips to help you keep your business data safe.
- Change passwords frequently – This should be a monthly routine; choose strong passwords; download a password creator and your browser will automatically save all the passwords you create. Hackers use software that searches out passwords and over a period of time, they can hack the password one character at a time and this can take a few weeks; changing it can throw off the hacking software and it will move on to the next victim.
- Staff training – Your office staff are at risk of falling prey to a number of clever strategies, such as phishing, when a user is presented with a replica website and are asked to re=enter personal information. Typically, the website will be your bank or credit company and it looks like the real thing; the user thinks this is an innocent request and enters the required data and the hackers can get to work. Any bank or finance company has quadruple data back up, so they would never ever ask you for your personal information, they have it. Teach your office staff all about firewalls and the dangers of opening email attachments, which is a favourite way to infect a computer with malicious code.
- Professional cyber-security – Regardless of the size of your organisation, you need the protection offered by cyber-security professionals. They use ethical hackers to attempt to penetrate your defences; they can implement Devsecops vulnerability management and ensure that your data is always secure. Ask a local provider for a free cyber-security audit to discover whether or not you have weaknesses and they tailor their services to suit the client.
- USB sticks – Be extremely careful inserting your USB memory stick into a computer; any viruses present will automatically transfer to the stick and when that stick is plugged into your laptop, the device will be infected. You can set up your PC to scan any external device when it is plugged in, which would automatically identify and quarantine any malicious code. Here are a few good reasons to enlist the help of cyber-security professionals.
- Use a VPN – The Virtual Private Network is a great tool to protect you when online; the network has servers in over 140 countries and you can hide behind a false IP address, so no hacker can find your origin. For a few dollars a month, you can surf the web with 100% anonymity, plus you are protected and can choose your location from a long list. You can also view content that is geographically excluded to your package by simply choosing an IP from a preferred country.
We are living in a digital world and cyber-security is always a concern. We hope the above information helps you to create a secure network and you won’t become the victim of a hacker.
