You can never be too sure when it comes to the security you have put in place for your business. If you don’t take the ...
You can never be too sure when it comes to the security you have put in place for your business. If you don’t take the necessary steps to protect your company from malicious online threats, you can find yourself, as well as your customers, in a world of trouble. Businesses have lost billions of dollars each year and that number is on the rise. All because of cyber-crimes, which can easily disrupt your business, your customer’s businesses and your ability to keep running. Your company needs to be ready to take on these attacks, but in order to do that, you have to take a step back and see if you’re currently at risk.
So how do you determine if your business is vulnerable to cyberattacks? First of all, assume that you are, and second, here are some risky behaviors that put any business at an even greater risk.
Thinking that you’re too small to target:
We see attacks happening to every type of business, everyday, no matter how small. Thinking that your business is safe just because you are not a large company, is flat out wrong. In fact, cyber-terrorists are going after more small businesses than ever. Why? Because they know a lot of them either don’t know how real the threat is, don’t know how to protect themselves, or simply don’t have the budget to focus on cyber-security. Your business should always be prepared to avoid an attack.
Out of date malware protection:
Outdated anti-virus software is a sure way to invite unwanted malware and viruses into your network. Cyber criminals are constantly creating new viruses and ways to infiltrate your firewalls, so it’s important to have your IT team staying on top of malware protection. There are enterprise level tools that as a business, you should have in place. Using the malware protection that comes with your computer or you purchase for your home PC isn’t good enough. It’s also important to regularly update software so that it can effectively fight off online threats.
Weak Passwords
Take a look at the passwords that your team is using; are they strong enough to keep out strangers and other online cyber criminals? Do you know for a fact that your employees aren’t using the same passwords at home as they are at work? Do you force employees to change their passwords on a regular basis? Having a weak password is essentially like leaving your front door unlocked. All it takes is one person who really wants to get in and you’re compromised. We see people use weak, re-used passwords all of the time. Even if you as the business owner are using complex passwords, how do you know your employees aren’t? Strong passwords go a long way when it comes to cyber security, and lazy password creation is detrimental to a business’s online safety and is an everyday threat to your data.
These are just 3 simple ways to tell if your company is vulnerable and at risk. If you want to know what we can do to help better protect your small business, read more or set up a call. We help small, medium and large businesses identify their risks and put cyber-security plans in place according to their specific needs and budgets. We are here to help.
