It’s high time that small businesses think of cybersecurity beyond compliance. Cybersecurity is the ideal mix between proactive and reactive measures, and small businesses need to take steps to prevent a security breach in the first place. The consequences of a breach, such as hacked cameras or data theft, can be detrimental to an organization’s repute and brand value, beyond financial losses. In this post, we are sharing 10 key steps for managing small business cybersecurity threats.
- Create strong passwords. An 8-character password is not longer enough. Ask employees to set passphrases that contain at least 14 or more characters, with use of uppercase & lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Passwords must be changed frequently. Ideally, passwords should be changed at least once in every 90 days. This practice essentially helps in reducing brute force attacks and credential stuffing.
- Implement multifactor authentication. With a second or third layer of authentication in place, a hacker cannot access a resource with just the password alone. This could be a security question, or something more private like a onetime password.
- Create a cybersecurity incident response plan. Sometimes, despite the best efforts, things do go wrong, and if that happens, a company should be able to minimize damage. For that, an incident response & management plan is critical.
- Backup files and data. Ransomware attacks may mean losing out critical information, and there is no assurance that paying the money will get things sorted. To avoid such situations, backups are a must – periodically and regularly.
- Phishing protection is a must. Ensure that your company has installed antimalware and antivirus software installed on all workstations and all networked devices are placed behind firewalls.
- Compulsory training for Cybersecurity Solutions sacramento ca. Employees are on the forefront of ensuring security, and they need to know the risks and concerns they are dealing with. Make sure that enough is spent on regular cybersecurity training.
- Install patches and updates. All operating systems, software, browsers, firmware, and plugins should be updated to the latest versions. Patches should be installed immediately after made available.
- Limit access. Consider installing an Identity & Access management suite, which allows businesses to have precise control on all resources, hardware, software, and users in real time.
- Use a spam filter. Spam filters are really handy for preventing phishing and malware attacks, and these should be installed on all systems and workstations.
Check online now to find more on cybersecurity measures adopted by other businesses.
