Cybersecurity is an issue for every company, regardless of size. In 2021, the biggest threat to businesses was phishing–scammers who sent emails pretending to be your company. In fact, one survey showed that 86% of companies reported they had issues with phishing.
One wrong click by an employee could put your business at risk. In turn, this could be putting your customers and employees at risk as well.
Here’s how to know if your business is at risk of breaching privacy and security, and what you can do to stop it.
Information Security and Information Privacy
First, it’s important to understand the main differences between information security and information privacy. The two are easily mistaken when discussing the importance of cybersecurity.
Information security, also known as infosec, are the practices a business uses to ensure they’re protecting the unauthorized access to sensitive and personal information.
These would be more in terms of cybersecurity measures that are in place.
Information privacy is the overall control over a person’s personal information such as their name, contact details, financial information, and even demographics.
Every country has specific laws of what a country is allowed to capture virtually and each person is allowed the decision as to what a company can take to use at their disposal.
Let’s take a look at what businesses can do to protect information privacy through information security.
Implement Anti-virus Software
Antivirus software and antispyware should be properly set up on all of your company’s devices.
They should also be updated regularly to ensure they have the latest updates to protect you from advancements in cyberattacks.
Data Backups
Data is the key to success for any business and comes in various forms. You don’t want your company to wait until a cybersecurity issue happens before you back up all of your crucial data.
Cloud-based software is a secure way to store all of your important information with multiple backups.
Hide and Secure Your Network
Leaving a wifi network open to the public is like opening the door for a robber. Secure your internet connection with the use of a firewall and encrypt sensitive information.
You never want to broadcast the name of your network, also known as the Service Set Identifier (SSID.) Most importantly, always make your network password protected.
Multifactor Authentication
You may have seen this before on your mobile devices or through email servers. Multifactor authentication is like adding an extra layer of protection to the various platforms you use.
When you log in to an account, you’ll have to go through a multi-step process to log in. It only takes a few extra seconds and provides much more security.
Use Tactical Passwords
Your birthdate and pet’s name aren’t enough for a password anymore. A strong password is anything considered to be 10 characters or more, with at least:
- One special character
- One number
- One lowercase
- One uppercase
There are systems available that will create strong passwords for you and store them securely.
Provide Training to Your Employees
Most importantly, go to the source of who works with your data most frequently. Your employees need to be properly educated on cybersecurity threats.
This includes things like not opening email attachments from fraudulent senders or using good browsing practices.
Limit Physical Access
Providing employees with their computers is a necessity, but it comes with risk. Laptops can be lost or stolen.
Make sure to set up a company protocol when using laptops for remote workers. Have company property required to be locked and stored away when not in use.
Conclusion
Data breaches or other forms of cyberattacks can be the downfall of your company. You must prepare ahead of time by taking the necessary precautions.
Instead of trying to do it all yourself, work with the professionals. Find a cybersecurity company to do a proper risk analysis and see where they need to plug in the holes to keep your business, employees, and customers safe.
