Every business owner should fully understand the dangers that hackers pose; data theft is very common and there are a number of strategies used to access raw and valuable data. This means we must prepare all company employees by teaching them how to spot hacking attempts, which we offer in this short article.
Change passwords often
One good way to outwit hackers is to change passwords every couple of weeks; install a password creator to have super-hard passwords and don’t worry, the software remembers them all. Things like date of birth should not be used for passwords, as they are too easy for a hacker to figure out, the victim’s date of birth is usually easy to find out and is usually the first thing they try. Using your initials is another obvious one; we recommend using a password creator and set the level to ‘very strong’.
Use a firewall
Top-rated intranet solutions are best with a secure firewall in place and your network provider can install and manage all cyber-security applications; they can even pinpoint and track a malware hacking attempt to the original sender. There are free firewalls and ones that are subscription-based; a quick web search will take you to a developer’s site and you can download their latest version. Firewalls act as another barrier for a hacker to overcome and the more we can create, the harder it will be for hackers.
Teach your employees about phishing
Phishing is a clever attempt to extract login info by replicating a website and requesting to fill in the data form provided. Make all employees understand that banks and finance companies never send you a link and this should alert them about phishing attempts. Phishing involves copying websites and requesting users to give information and these websites look identical to the real sites (the giveaway is the URL).
Update anti-virus every week
Your anti-virus software is only as good as its virus definition database and regular updates ensures that new malware is recognised. Make a point of updating (set notifications) every Monday and your virus barrier will stop all malware attempts. Click here for how to grow your business through online communities.
Use of personal devices
Some companies do not allow employees to use their personal devices to login to their cloud network; the reason for this is that malware could be transferred into the network. Other businesses instruct employees to keep their smartphones, tablets and laptops virus-free and you should decide whether or not you will allow your workers to use their own devices at work. This is something to carefully consider; there are pluses and minuses to allowing employees to access a company network using their personal devices.
Organise a staff cyber-security workshop
Why not call in a specialist company to teach your staff about best practices for cyber-security? A couple of hours is all it takes and this could save your business a lot of money. If your employees do not know how hackers work, how can they take steps to protect themselves? There are at least 12 positive steps that staff can practice that help prevent unauthorised access to a network and these can be taught in a single session.
Consult with a cyber-security expert
The best way to protect your business from hackers is to consult with a top-rated cyber-security organisation and Google can help you locate such a business. They would send a technician to your place of business and make some recommendations based on their findings.
Cyber-security is a global issue and it is the responsibility of every business owner to take precautions to protect all business data. Don’t think that cyber-crime is something that happens to other people, as that kind of attitude is very risky. Of course, we don’t always hear about cyber-attacks but that doesn’t mean they don’t occur. We only hear about the big compromises, when millions of dollars are lost, but there are many small businesses that fall prey to cyber-criminals and to prevent your business from becoming a victim, make sure you have cyber-security in place.