Letting your guard down when it comes to online safety and protection is a huge risk that you don’t want to take. Just like an unexpected physical attack, cyber-attacks often happen out of the blue with no pre-warning, leaving companies and individuals exposed and vulnerable. On average, cybercrime can cost UK businesses an estimated £21 billion per year, so it is your responsibility to ensure that your business has the correct cybersecurity procedures in place to avoid this type of loss. It is therefore imperative that you dedicate time to take a step back and assess the possible risks your company is vulnerable to, identify solutions and implement the changes.
To help get you started, here are three behaviours that will improve the resilience of your company against cyber-attacks.
Ensure your malware protection is up to date
Regularly updating and monitoring the status of your malware protection will protect your network against undetected and unwanted viruses and malware. Cyber-criminals are always on the lookout for new ways to infiltrate your networks with new viruses so keeping your malware up to date is a key aspect of protecting your company.
Strengthen your passwords
Having the same password for everything may be easier for users but ultimately, it is lazy password creation that could lead to the decline and detriment of your business’ online safety. A good rule of thumb is to use a password that has 12 characters which includes symbols, numbers, and letters. It is also a good habit to periodically check and update your passwords. Using a password manager ensures that your team not only use passwords that are strong enough to keep out cyber criminals but that they are safely stored. Remember, it only takes one person to get in for a data breach to occur, so use strong passwords and ‘keep your front doors locked’.
Accept that anyone can be a target
It is not only large, nationwide or multinational companies that are targeted when it comes to cybercrimes. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also fair game when it comes to cyber-attacks. In fact, given that many attacks are now automated, SMEs are more likely to fall victim to phishing attacks for example, than larger enterprises. The reality is that many SMEs have weaker defences in place and proportionally, they hire the vast majority of the workforce. This means that they have an increased number of weak points as human error is the main reason why many of these attacks are successful.
These behaviours are just a small part of a bigger list of how to build your company’s resilience against cyber-attacks. But it’s also worth considering an alternative strategy – whilst traditional anti-virus software can be a good starting point, adopting a Zero Trust security approach will put you in a far better and safer position. This bullet-proof approach to IT security assumes that no one is trustworthy until they prove otherwise, making it incredibly hard for a hacker to get into your systems and cause damage.
To find out how resilient your current security practices are, we recommend finding a reliable cybersecurity company to partner with. At Office Anyplace, we work with our clients to help them obtain the government-backed Cyber Essentials certification, where not only will you be safe in the knowledge that your security stack is up to scratch but can also open up other benefits such as reduced cyber insurance premiums. Contact us to find out more.
