As we all know, Christmas is that time of year where we all think about giving, however this is not the case when it comes to online credentials and sensitive business information. With this in mind, in our latest blog article, we will provide you with our top 10 cyber tips for Christmas.
1 – Stay ahead when it comes to training
You will find that your employees don’t go out of their way to jeopardise the security of the business as this usually happens accidentally. These days many phishing emails can look real and new threats are always on the horizon, so it is crucial that all of your employees know exactly how to identify such threats.
With this in mind, people are your best form of defence when it comes to both identifying and avoiding potential scams. One such step you could take is to run a dedicated cyber awareness training course which is perfect for the New Year.
2 – Never underestimate insider threats
Be sure not to be complacent when it comes to assessing the security risks posed by those in your business. It is important to never assume that employees will do things to hurt your business but those that are unhappy could cause chaos if they chose to.
It goes without saying but insider threats aren’t usually malicious. As most network breaches are made as a result of a human error. The way to reduce the levels of risk around this are by limiting access privileges only to those that absolutely need them and making sure that your employees can stop dodgy looking activities.
3 – Keep all devices safe and secure
When using company devices, encryption is pivotal in keeping them safe and can stop data falling into the wrong hands. You will find that mobile phones will make use of PIN codes and on Windows computers the use of BitLocker is strongly advised. Even though this tip can be viewed as simple, it is a vital part of keeping your valuable data safe. This is an effective – yet often overlooked – security control that all businesses should have in operation.
4 – Put two-factor authentication into place
You will find that implementing a two-factor authentication is a great way of adding an extra layer to your security for your online accounts. It works in the simplest of ways by giving you a code each time you login to your accounts.
The great thing about this is the fact that even if a cybercriminal gains access to your login details, they won’t be able to login to your account unless they have your mobile phone to receive the unique code. As well as this, if a cybercriminal attempts to access your account from an unusual place, you will get sent a notification, enabling you to change your login details to stop you being hacked in the first place.
5 – Be proactive at all times, never rest on your laurels
It’s even more important than ever before to keep being proactive rather than reactive when it comes to cyber security. You are safe in the knowledge that a specific disaster recovery plan will get you up and running again, however it should very much be a last resort. Given that the vast majority of businesses conduct their operations online, it is vital that all the very best safeguards are in place to ensure both compliance and security requirements are met.
Even if your business has the very best disaster recovery measures in place, you can’t escape the consequences associated with a data breach. The risks to your business from being compromised or having data stolen, will severely damage your reputation, so therefore it's almost impossible to ignore. It might be a scary prospect to invest heavily in this, however the cost of ignoring it altogether will be much greater in the long term.
6 – Revaluate your cyber security safeguards
It goes without saying but your business may have undergone a number of changes in the way in which it operates over the years. Do you remember when you last analysed your security strategy? Do you find that it still works effectively when taking into account remote working and any other modifications that have been made?
Cybercriminals have been able to adapt to the use of different technologies and circumstances, so don’t get caught unawares. Choosing to complete a cyber security audit could be a great starting point as it will help by completing vulnerability scans as well as dedicated penetration testing to make sure that all threats are put down straight away.
7 – Don't take things for granted
As the festive season is in full swing, you will notice that you are spending more time online than you did earlier in the year meaning that you could easily take your eye off the prize somewhat. This has become more of a problem with the use of remote working expanding which makes it very easy for employees to forget about dedicated security measures that are in place for the business.
It is important to understand that cyber-attacks don’t need to be overly complex to work. This is largely down things like phishing emails whereby login credentials can be sold on the Dark Web without your knowledge which enables hackers to access your accounts as well as potentially sensitive data. We can provide your business with a free Dark Web report to make sure that your data is not going to end up in the wrong hands.
8 - Don’t let your guard down
As we all know, Christmas is the season of goodwill, however it can also mean that we can just as easily be targeted by hackers.
To give an example of this, cybercriminals are aware that lots of people as well as businesses are ordering more online so can easily use this as opportunity to hack accounts by saying that things are wrong with your order or delivery.
To combat this, it is vital that you have a comprehensive email solution in place which looks to identify personalisation tactics that alert users about these specific scams.
9 - Don’t forget to use a password manager
These days it can be tricky to remember the passwords for all your accounts. However, it is important to note that you shouldn’t be lazy as a result and use the same passwords across all of your accounts. If you choose to do this, it makes it so easy for hackers to access these accounts and leave you exposed.
The best way to combat this is to keep your passwords stored using a dedicated password management solution.
10 – Make sure that you have a backup plan in your back pocket
When a crisis hits your business, it is vital that you take action as soon as it happens. Cybercriminals are able to implement threats such as ransomware to hold your data hostage until a ransom has been paid to release it.
Despite the fact that you should have safeguards in place to start with, having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place to enable you to regain access is vital should the absolute worst ever happen to your business. What this means is that if you experience some form of data loss, you can relax knowing that you will still have access to vital documentation and files.
It goes without saying but the numbers don’t lie as your business could save hundreds of thousands of pounds by having a comprehensive backup plan in place with ransomware being the single largest threat faced by small businesses along with the average downtime costing up to 200% year on year.
Are you looking to get more cyber security tips from Advantage?
At Advantage, we are driven to help all sized businesses to succeed through the use of technology. Our dedicated cyber security solutions will help to protect your business from all kinds of threats and vulnerabilities, regardless of whether they are malicious or accidental. If you want to discuss your cyber security requirements in more detail, then please get in touch with us now.
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