The 2019 Global Risks Report says that cyberattacks are number five on the list of global threats over a ten-year horizon. If your company has not been attacked by a cyber-breach yet consider yourself lucky.
Different industries are prone to different types of cyberattacks. From small businesses to large enterprises, cybercriminals spare no one. Business downtime, financial loss, and tarnish reputations are the common consequences of these attacks.
Most employees are under the impression that the IT department can fix everything. This is not true. Cyber-attacks have multiple form
s and they can escalate in unexpected ways. With comprehensive training, you can minimize human error minimize the chances of a compromise occurring.
To keep the attacks at bay, these some cybersecurity best practices to teach your employees:
Start the Awareness from Day One
It should be a best practice from day one to keep your employees aware and engaged with cybersecurity. Give the training to your employees from day one. If your company is committed to security, it would be easier to incorporate these best practices into daily business activities.
For instance, when your team is working remotely, make it mandatory to use a VPN for better security. Advice your workforce to lock their screens whenever they leave their desks.
Issue BYOD Policies
Many companies are flexible when it comes to allowing their employees in bringing their devices. They are flexible to use and save cost. The downside of BYOD policy is that the devices are difficult to control. Plus, there is an increased risk of viruses, malware, data breaches, and other vulnerabilities. To prevent data breaches, issue the right BYOD policies to minimize the risk.
Teach Them Password Security Best Practices
Password security should be at the forefront of cybersecurity best practices. The easiest password to crack is abcd123 or password123. Unfortunately, people set simple passwords like these because they are easy to remember. Of course, they are easy to remember. They are easy to crack as well.
Advice your team to use passwords containing numbers, alphabetic and special characters. Don’t use personal information such as your date of birth, name, or phone number as a password. Make it a best practice to change the password every 3 months. Don’t use old passwords repeatedly.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication
Encourage your team to use multi-factor authentication to secure all online accounts. It adds an additional layer of security to your accounts. What if there is a signal problem and an employee cannot verify their account because they didn’t receive a text message? They can have the verification code sent to their email for verifying accounts.
Enable multi-factor authentications of all accounts to ensure that no unauthorized user is able to log into the company’s account. This method is better than two-factor authentication and more secure.
Let Them Know What a Ransomware Is
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to your data or PC until you pay a ransom. It is the type of attack that has caused businesses millions of dollars. Another problem with ransomware attacks is that data recovery is not always guaranteed.
The best way of reducing the risk of these attacks is to train your employees for recognizing the signs which include a file that won’t open, lock screens preventing access to information, missing file extensions, and more.
It is recommended to keep the sensitive employee data restricted and continue to perform regular backups of important information. Allow only authorized personnel to access sensitive data.
Get Familiar with Phishing
Another common cyber-attack that can cost you billions is phishing. It is the type of attack that tricks individuals into providing sensitive info such as account details, passwords. The attack usually occurs via email. The sender entices you to click an external link or download an attachment that contains the malware.
Phishing attacks can also occur via text messages, phone calls, or social media. The dangerous part of this type of attack is that you don’t even realize you are being scammed. Everything looks so real.
Encourage Everything to Backup their Data
One of the most important things to remember is making backups. Let’s assume you have suffered from a data loss. How will you recover the files? If the lost files were important, this could result in a serious problem.
Having data backup will save you from trouble. Let’s assume that you have backups in place, you will be relieved because you have a backup already in store. It’s imperative to create data backup on different locations – cloud well as locally.
Maintaining organizational data backup is one thing. You must teach your employees to back up their files regularly. Encourage them to upload all files on a cloud server at the end of the day. A backup must be created whether the employees are working remotely or locally.