Cyber Threats Are Everywhere
Small businesses are targeted by cyber criminals at an increasing rate. Here’s why–larger business-es typically have IT staff with a high knowledge of cyber security and training. Breaking into their systems could take a cybercriminal months or years of work. A small business is a good target because they are less likely to have basic levels of security in place to prevent malicious access.
Having the following defenses in place can help prevent a multitude of cyber-attacks on your net-work. Finding the right balance between security and budget restrictions is a specialty of OrangeSky IT. Being safe and secure should not break the bank.
I Have Nothing of Value, Why Would I Get Attacked?
A lot of small businesses don’t know their value to cyber criminals. Here are three things that you have that cyber criminals can capitalize from:
First, money. Is the password to your personal or business checking account saved in a Word or Excel document somewhere on your computer? Are the login credentials saved in your browser to help save time logging in? What about your employees? These are all things that are being checked when a criminal gains access to your systems.
Second, employee data. Social security numbers, payroll routing numbers, addresses, phone numbers, emails – anything they can get can be profit-able on the internet black market, (the dark web).
Third, client data. Like they do with your employee data, they want your client data to sell on the dark web. They are also looking for the typical payment consistency for your clients. Do you have a client that sends you a payment online every month? If they have access to your network, they can use that to gain access to your email to send an email from your accounts payable email asking to please send the next payment to a different account (that they control).
Here’s the scary part–they don’t typically make their presence known. They have perfected methods of gaining access to networks and taking everything they want without you knowing. OrangeSky IT understands this situation and is here to clean up the aftermath while helping prevent this from happening again.
9 THINGS YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO PREVENT CYBER SECURITY THREATS
1 • Centralized Computer Login
This can simply be of user accounts managed on a physical server at your office or managed in the cloud. This allows you to reset passwords, disable user accounts, and apply security policies to company owned devices without having to physically touch them.
2 • Business Grade Network Equipment
Many small businesses are currently using firewall, switch, wireless combos they either received from their internet provider or purchased at a local electronics store. Most of these devices were designed for home use and provide little or no protection from most cyber threats. There are variants of these products designed specifically for small businesses that provide the security you need without a high expense.
3 • Web Filtering
Web filtering software should be installed on each computer that is owned by the company. It allows businesses to block websites by category (adult content, gambling, social media, etc.) and protects their employees from going to malicious websites by mistake.
4 • Antivirus & Advanced Threat Monitoring
Antivirus software protects computers from viruses that are commonly found on the internet. Advanced threat monitoring works alongside your antivirus to monitor computers and find more advanced threats that traditional anti-virus software can miss.
5 • Secure Business Email
Email is the most used form of communication in most businesses. Due to that, it is also one of the most common ways attackers try and target you and your employees. Cloud hosted email through Microsoft 365 is an inexpensive, easy to use, and secure way to host your business email. This can help prevent spam and emails originating in foreign countries.
6 • Multi Factor Authentication
Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) increases security by requiring you input a code or press a button on your phone after logging into an account to gain access. This is a second layer of security to prevent attackers from gaining access to your accounts, even if they have your credentials.
7 • Dark Web Monitoring
The dark web is an underground section of the internet where illegal goods are bought and sold. An example is personal information such as email credentials, social security numbers, and credit card information. This information is gathered when websites or other businesses are compromised. Major websites and retailers have had these compromises in the past few years and disclosed millions of emails and passwords. If you use a website or retailer that has been compromised, your personal information could be at risk. Dark web monitoring continuously searches the dark web for any credentials that contain your company emails– contact us now for a free dark web scan to see if there are any current credentials on the dark web.
8 • Data Backups
Your business data (files, applications, and emails) all need daily backups hosted in the cloud. These make it possible to restore data due to accidental or malicious deletion. It also is a fail-safe in case a virus gains a hold of a system on your network and makes the data unusable. Backups can turn a total loss disaster into a minor inconvenience.
9 • Network Monitoring
If there is ever a problem on your network, you need your IT team to know about it. Many threats out there are discovered because a staff member has an issue– at that point, it is usually too late to be easily mitigated. Knowing there is a problem is half the battle. You need a real team of professionals with experience reviewing and acting on any alerts that occur on your network before they become a major issue requiring down time or loss of data.
Do not fall victim to hackers! Call us Today for your FREE IT assessment.
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