As more and more businesses are going digital, cyber-attacks are the major threats that any business faces and it has been estimated that huge organizations and businesses face up to 900 attacks every week. Cyber Attackers want to gain access to companies’ data so they can leverage it for money. Data is becoming a virtual gold for businesses because no one wants their data to fall into wrong hands or get leaked in public.
Businesses need to make sure that they have the right people, right tools, and right security features in place to stay protected against cyberattacks. Businesses need to boost their cyber resilience and stay protected against cyber-attacks to ensure operational continuity. We will be discussing various ways through which businesses can improve their cyber resilience:
Use Of VPNs Should Be Ensured
The use of VPNs should be made compulsory for accessing remote services. VPN offers a secure network on which you can surf anonymously on the internet and perform activities without getting tracked by anyone else. The VPN network is also a military-grade encrypted network that ensures top-level security.
Employees Should Be Advised To Use Secure Passwords
One of the common ways that cyber attackers get access to any company’s network during a cyber-attack is by using credentials from previous data breaches. Cyber attackers use leaked usernames and passwords from any previous data breach. By using these credentials, cyber attackers are sometimes able to get access to the company’s data because users make the mistake of re-using the same username/password everywhere.
People also make the same mistake with wireless routers and they don’t change the default login password for the default gateway address, 192.168.0.1 due to which anyone connected to the network can easily access the settings and data of the network.
Employees should be advised to use leak checkers to see if their username/password is present in any known data breach or know. If it is present, they should change it immediately and set a secure password or use a password manager instead.
Tighten Cloud Security
If a business is using the cloud, it must tighten its cloud security. The company must ensure that the cloud platforms it is using for business operations have strong security protocols to prevent cyber attackers from getting access to the cloud environment. Instead of using cloud services from any local supplier, choosing a well-known cloud supplier that most users trust is a good choice because of fewer discrepancies in security controls.
Regular Software Updates
It should also be ensured that all the software that is being run in the company is up-to-date. Software updates should be a top priority because it includes the latest fixes for known security vulnerabilities and bugs. In a company, different devices are used, and updating each device regularly should be among the top priorities. Each new update, whether it is of a PC or a wireless router, should be deployed as quickly as possible so that critical security patches can be applied.
For PCs, the updates are released after regular intervals, and users are notified once there is an update available, whereas, for wireless routers, users have to manually check through 192.168.1.1 or on the manufacturer’s website.
Restricting Access To Internal Networks
Third-party access to internal networks and systems should be restricted all the time. It is the job of the IT team to regularly monitor the internal networks and internal to ensure that there is no intruder. If there is a need for a third-party to access the internet, it should be through a guest network instead of the primary network. Doing so will prevent any third party from compromising your network or breaching into your company’s data.
A Working Backup Strategy
Reviewing data backup strategy is important so that in case a cyber attack does happen, operational continuity is ensured, thanks to the backups. There is also a 3-2-1 rule for backups that requires having three copies of the data, with two of the data copies stored locally on different media types and the third stored off-site, like on the cloud. This strategy is very useful in case a cyber-attack or a data breach does happen.
Educating Employees About Cyber Security
Every business out there needs to educate its staff members and employees through regular staff awareness training programs and informative seminars on cyber security. If the staff members and employees have a solid knowledge of cyber security, they would avoid doing such activities that would endanger the company’s data.
