The impact of cyber attacks on business can affect your suppliers, damage relationships you might have with your partners, investors, and others vested in your industry. Cyber attacks can compromise confidential data you might hold either on your staff or your clients. It can cause you to lose business and your reputation. It can also cause you to pay large fines or incur huge litigation costs. To minimize these risks, you must prepare your organization for the impact of cyber-attacks and be prepared to manage and control the risk as it occurs.
It is also important to note that personal data is only as secure as the information it holds. It is therefore important that your data is encrypted and not passed onto unauthorized individuals or servers. By doing so you will be protected from hacking.
Monitor activities
You must be prepared to monitor the activity that passes through your systems and report any unusual activity. It is important that you work with your IT partner to establish a monitoring program and regularly monitor the effectiveness of this program. You must also set up controls in place to mitigate the impact of any attacks so that your systems are not continually hit by attacks.
Make a plan if cyberattacks occur
You must consider what actions you would take if an attack happened. Do not wait until an attack had reached your system before determining how to respond. If your systems were compromised, there could be several threats depending on the severity of the breach. Some attacks can only harm your customers and data but other attacks can put your entire business at risk. Some businesses could be forced to close down if an attacker managed to get through their firewall.
It is important to consider the physical security measures that you have in place. All computer networks must be secure. You should use strong passwords and verify emails are sent to your address. Some companies will install software that will automatically mask your IP address and prevent others from tracking your data. Other measures can include firewalls that prevent other network systems from getting into your business database.
Email security is important
Many people don’t realize the importance of email security. Hackers will try to obtain your confidential information and use it for their purposes. This can include opening accounts in your name, redirecting payments from customers to their accounts, using your account information to make purchases, and selling critical data to third parties. All of this can put you at risk and cause you significant financial loss.
Protect web server
Your business’ web server should be protected from a variety of attacks. This includes all forms of attack including SQL injection and cross-site scripting. Many hackers use these techniques to bypass firewalls and expose databases. A dedicated firewall will protect your web application and prevent sensitive data from being compromised.
Encrypt critical data
When conducting business online it is always recommended that critical data is encrypted and stored off-site to reduce the risk of attacks. Off-site storage also reduces the risk of theft from a disgruntled employee of your company who may take control of servers and carry out attacks on business premises. Ensuring your data is encrypted and stored securely will protect your business against cyber attacks on business premises.
Every business should have an intranet system to communicate with other departments and outside sources. Having a dedicated system is the best way to protect your business against cyber attacks. A dedicated system also allows employees to share information and work remotely. In today’s business world it is extremely important that all employees know their location and if they are unsure of their whereabouts they can immediately call their supervisor.
Make personal passwords and logins
It is also important that all employees have their passwords and logins so that they cannot be hacked. If a business does not provide these passwords and logins then customers will not be able to access their financial records or their monthly newsletter. These documents contain vital information that can harm the reputation of a business and even put the business at risk of bankruptcy. As well as this it can also lead to serious financial losses and many cases have seen businesses go out of business due to the exposure of their client’s data on the internet.
Internet security audit
An Internet security audit is usually the most effective way to protect a business from online threats. By installing the entire suite a business can be protected from all types of online attacks, including web viruses, phishing emails, malicious websites, and web hacking tools. Businesses need to update their security suites regularly as new threats emerge. It is also a good idea for businesses to get an up-to-date antivirus software program as well as a firewall to protect their networks. A virus is often the most important part of a successful online attack on a business.