Small Business Tax Center
Small Business Ideas, Grants &
Plans to Start & Run a Business:

Small Business Grants
CyberSchmooz
Network in Cyberschmooz Community Ask Questions Questions and Answers Share Tips Small Business Ideas List Your Business Business Advice from Idea Cafe Experts Coffee Talk with Experts Starting A Business Business Plan Biz Planning | Sample Plans Small Business Ideas Idea Name Your Biz Name Plan Your Biz Plan Financing $ Starting a Business Do It! Running your Business Marketing Tips Promotional Merchandise Marketing Tips Marketing | Sales | Customers Human Resources HR | Employees | Contractors Legal Forms & Tax Information Legal | Biz Forms Managing a Business Managing | Operations
Financing Resources Financing Your Business E Commerce & Webhosting eCommerce Take Out Info Trade Publications FREE Trade Publications Business Books Biz Books Your Own Business Small Business News Small Biz News Gen X Biz Gen X Biz Work at Home Work @ Home Business Information The Fridge - Biz Info on Ice Destress Send Awards Send Awards & Greetings Yoga At Your Desk Yoga @ Your Desk Fun Guide Guide to Find FUN Online About Idea Cafe Press Idea Cafe has received Idea Cafe in the News Idea Cafe's Kudos Kudos for Idea Cafe Advertise on Idea Cafe Advertise on Idea Cafe Privacy Policy Privacy Policy Contact Idea Cafe Contact Idea Cafe Link to Idea Cafe Link to/from Idea Cafe Join Idea Cafe
Search Idea Cafe Site Directory Site Map Online directory to business resources Biz Web Guide



Expert Answers to Biz Questions

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

color business bar

3 Ways to Prevent Cyber Attacks on Your Company

 

The media publicises cyber-attacks on individuals more than on businesses. Companies in the UK lose millions every year to cybercrimes. One of the reasons why cybercriminals succeed in their activities is that many business owners are ignorant. Some delegate the responsibility of securing data to their IT personnel or rely on antivirus software. Your company is at a high risk of a cyber-attack if you have not implemented strict measures to secure your data. The top strategies for preventing cyber-attacks are discussed below.

1. Train Your Employees on Data Security

Your employees handle the most sensitive data in your company. Many cyber-attacks occur due to employee negligence or lack of information. Do not assume that your employees know the dangers of cyber-attacks, especially new employees. Conduct an internal training on data security and ensure that employees implement the lessons learned. Train your employees to use unique passwords and change them regularly. Advanced training is necessary for your IT experts. Your company is safer when IT professionals with an F5 ASM qualification handle confidential data. Strict security policies should follow the training to ensure that all personnel implement the measures taught.

2. Watch Out for Red Flags

Your employees require training on how to identify red flags or loopholes for a cyber-attack. Criminals look for any opportunity to access the internal system remotely. If they can access your system, they can access any data. Hence, strong passwords with different characters are necessary. You also need to look out for any red flags such as suspicious attachments on emails. One of the strategies that cybercriminals use is to send an email to all employees with a virus as an attachment. Once the employees click on or download the attachment, the criminals can access all data on their computers. Sometimes criminals ask for personal details directly and require immediate feedback. Train your employees to ignore such requests and report any suspicious messages or emails immediately.

You should also consider hiring a security consultant to see if there are any security risks or holes in your network that could jeopardise its security that could’ve been missed by your IT team. While it may seem like a significant expenditure at first, hiring a security consultant is one of the best investments you could make.

3. Beware of Internal Threats

Sometimes companies focus too much on external threats and forget that insider attacks can come from within. An employee can access restricted data intentionally or accidentally. In most cases, cyber criminals try to access data remotely. The criminals may also collude with an employee to access the data. Be careful with the paperwork in your office. Your employees can give out confidential data if they print it out in public places. Using the same storage devices at work and in public places can also give criminals easy access to your internal system. Monitor your employee’s activities and ensure that all documents are disposed of correctly. Restrict access to confidential data, especially your clients’ personal data to a few employees.

It is important to consider both internal and external threats when implementing security measures against cyber-attacks on your company. Start by educating all of your employees about the dangers of cyber-attacks and the common strategies that criminals use. Do not ignore any red flag or assume that your antivirus software will highlight all attacks because it won’t. Sophisticated malware can bypass even the best anti-malware software. Simple strategies such as deleting suspicious emails, changing passwords regularly, and controlling your business paper trail are effective in securing confidential data.

Google      

Small Business Tax CenterIdea Cafe HomeSign UpBiz Grant CenterCyberSchmoozCoffee Talk with ExpertsPeople in Biz ProfilesStarting Your BizBiz PlanningRunning Your BizFREE Trade PublicationsMarketingFinancing Your BizHuman ResourcesLegal & Biz FormsManaging Your BizeCommerceYou and Your BizGen XWork@HomeThe FridgeDe-StressSend an AwardSend an eGreetingYoga @ Your DeskWeb GuideIdea Cafe in the NewsAbout Idea CafeAdvertise on Idea CafeContact UsPrivacy PolicySite MapSmall Biz News

Copyright 1995-2024, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc.

DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages.

TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.