In today's digital age, a cyberattack should be something that every business owner prepares for. Hackers can locking you out of devices, prevent you from getting work done, steal sensitive information, and jeopardize clients and your brand all at the same time.
Keep reading below to learn more about how to protect your business from risk and stop cyberattacks!
A Cyberattack Can Take Any Form
When people imagine cyberattacks, they usually imagine hackers in dim basements typing quickly on a keyboard. In reality, a cyberattack can be as simple as sending one of your employees a corrupt file via email.
This type of attack, known as phishing, and can result in a major security breach, including a potential loss of data. Similar to phishing is "whaling," which targets CEOs and other senior executives. Both also typically come in the form of simple emails.
More sophisticated attacks can also involve installing illicit hardware in your network to steal information as it passes through. Sometimes, criminals may even steal data in-person by breaking into your storefront to take information directly from your computers.
You never know how a hacker may target your business, so you need to prepare for every possibility. Be sure to provide regular training to all employees to help keep them aware of these potential attacks.
Secure Devices With Strong Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication
Cyberattacks may also access information and systems by exploiting weak passwords. Using something that employees can remember that also includes several characters and numbers helps protect against brute-force attacks, in which hackers guess many simple passwords very quickly.
Encourage employees to use password management tools that can create and store complex passwords for their various accounts. Using the same password for multiple accounts or very simple passwords can be high-risk.
Be sure that your organization also utilizes multi-factor authentication when logging into accounts, which sends employees a notification via phone or email after entering their password. This tool lets employees know when someone is accessing their accounts, and prevents hackers from getting access by posing as employees.
Not All Attacks Steal Private Information
Some cyber attacks aren't even meant to steal information. Most of the time, DDOS attacks are simply meant to take your website off the internet and cost you revenue. Hackers can simply send a huge amount of visits or requests to your website, overloading your servers and causing damage.
So, securing your company doesn't just mean securing its information. It also means building your servers and networks up to be as strong as possible to protect against malicious hackers.
Working With a Partner
Outsourcing your administrative tasks through an HR outsourcing partner can come with a variety of benefits, including increased protection for your data. These partners provide business owners with HR, payroll, and benefits administration technology that securely stores employee data.
These same outsourcing partners often have access to insurance solutions that can protect your business from losses caused by cyberattacks.
SynchronyHR is here to help! Message us today to learn more.