Top 10 Cyber Security Tips You Need to Know

When it comes to small business cyber security, many companies are falling short of protecting themselves and their data. Hackers are only becoming more sophisticated and compromising systems with greater frequently, making cyber security more important than ever.

Small businesses today face more cyber security risks than ever before including ransomware, hacking, DoS attacks, USB drives or other cyber security threats. And there is no silver bullet than can protect you from every single threat.

If you want to protect your business from cyber-attacks, you should keep reading. We have 10 cyber security tips that will help ensure you will never have to worry about hackers stealing your sensitive data or compromising your systems.

Here are the top 10 cyber security tips you need to know:

Don’t Believe It Won’t Happen to You

You may think that your small business will never get hacked. After all, there are millions of businesses every year that escape such a fate. However, taking the "it won't happen to me" approach will open you up to vulnerabilities. Instead, you should be hoping for the best and planning for the worst. Your business may never get hacked, but why allow it to stay less secure in an age where cybercrime is on the rise?

Practice Good Password Management

One of the most common ways a bad actor accessing sensitive data is due to passwords being easy to crack. Ideally, you should ensure everyone who is a part of your business is using strong passwords that are difficult to crack. These would be a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Using the same password for multiple accounts and systems also opens your business up to potential cyber-attacks. Having different and complex passwords will help thwart a majority of attacks.

Deploy a Dedicated Firewall

A network without a firewall is setting itself up to be a big target. A small business cyber security strategy should always involve the deployment of a dedicated firewall. This will block threats to your sensitive data, along with all sorts of malicious network traffic.

Be Careful With Email Attachments and Links

Always pause before opening up an email attachment or clicking links. First, identify who the sender is. If you know who they are, hover over the link and identify what the URL is without clicking on it. If the link looks suspect, then it could lead to a malware site. If a file is in an unusual attachment format, such as .exe, avoid clicking on it. Check with your IT administrator if it is a safe file to open.

?Avoid Shopping or Online Banking on Company Computers

If you want to do sensitive browsing, such as logging into your bank account or shopping, you should only do so on a personal device that belongs to you. This will help prevent potential cyber criminals from accessing your sensitive financial information. In addition, potentially opening your company to a dangerous vulnerability.

Regularly Back Up Data

One of the most important cyber security tips is to back up your company's sensitive data and do so regularly. While you hope you will never need to retrieve data from a backup copy, there may come a day when that is exactly what needs to be done. Not only should you store on-site but you should also house backups off-site as well.

Keep All Systems Patched and Up to Date

Make sure that all computers and devices used in your business are updated regularly. Updating to the latest operating system version or program version will ensure all exploits and bugs are patched as soon as possible.

Be Careful What You Connect to the Network

Malware can easily spread through any device you connect to your company’s network, be it directly or via a wireless connection. Flash drives, external hard drives, and smartphones can all be potential spreaders of malware. Never pickup an unkown flash or usb drive and insert it into your device.

Watch What You Share on Social Media

Small business cyber security extends to the world of social media. Be vigilant about what you or your employees are sharing on social media when it comes to sensitive data. Enact a policy that bars people from divulging anything that may lead to your network becoming compromised.

Launch a Cyber Security Training and Awareness Program

A very helpful way to prevent cyber-attacks is to educate your employees about cyber security. A training and awareness program will go over the basics of cyber-attacks, provide cyber security tips, and ensure there is a basic level of knowledge about how to secure your company’s network.

Conclusion

Cyber security is vitally important to understand and implement today. If you have a small business and are not applying the cyber security tips in this article, it’s time to start! Your company’s data is far too important to leave unprotected.

For more information or questions about how you can improve you cyber security posture, please balancelogic’s website at https://www.balancelogic.com/cyber-security-services

Also, check out: 10 Things to Help Prevent a Cyber Security Attack