Cybersecurity attacks are on the rise, expected to climb above 6 trillion attacks by the end of the year. Therefore, preventive tactics and safeguarding are so important.
Every day, another attack is born and then utilized to steal, corrupt, or annihilate your vulnerable systems. Unfortunately, as soon as you’ve safeguarded against one attack, another one is already at your backdoor picking the lock. Individuals experience hundreds, even thousands of attacks in various forms, mutating and improving. As for businesses, these heinous acts can mean total destruction.
Why Are Businesses So Vulnerable to Cyberattacks?
Threats and attacks are always a problem for businesses. That’s due to all the hardware used within the network. Most companies require computers, printers, switches, servers, access points, routers, and software tools.
These software tools are used primarily for accounting and bookkeeping. For example, QuickBooks, as this program is used for accounting purposes to keep things simple. So, as you can see, there is plenty of opportunistic space for an attack to happen. And these attacks are becoming more common in individual homes as well.
Stopping Cyberattacks in Their Tracks
The good news is that you can prevent cyber attacks if you stay on your toes. This means many things. There is no singular fix for all when it comes to cyberattacks. To prevent these threats, it’s important to take certain actions to guard and educate your company or team. It’s smart to educate yourself on all the ways you can prevent these attacks, even if it just affects your personal computer. Look at a few winning ways to stop these cybercriminals.
Keep up-to-date
Always remember your systems and software updates. When you’re not currently updated, hackers can exploit any weaknesses in your network. When it’s already hacked, it may be too late. To help you out with this, you can invest in a Patch Management system to automatically keep your software and systems updated.
Educate yourself and your staff
Common forms of cyberattacks lately have been in the form of emails or messages which seem to come from friends or employees. Unfortunately, these are fake, and some people have fallen for these fake messages. You should be aware of all ways these messages can be sent, and you should educate friends, family, and your staff members about this trick. Here are a few things that should always be considered.
- Thoroughly check the email address. Something will be off in the address if it’s not legitimate.
- Check the link before you click the link. A link will almost always be in the message.
- Never give out personal information through these messages or emails. Call the person first.
Back up all data
You never know when an attack will completely crash your systems, making you lose every bit of your important data. That’s why it’s imperative to back up all data so you can replace what was lost. Sometimes the hacker’s only objective is to destroy systems, either for competitive reasons, or just the pleasure of utilizing the attack. When using a backup, it thwarts what they were trying to do.
Password changes
It might seem difficult at first to keep up with all the different passwords, but it will be worth it. Having the same password for everything is dangerous. You see, once they have the password to one application, they have the password to most of your other applications. It can be simpler to keep these various passwords in a safe place, so you don’t forget them than to try to fix the damage caused by attacks.
Security for Wi-Fi
Your Wi-Fi can also be a target for cybercriminals. Hiding a secured network may be the best way to keep your systems safe. After all, there are thousands of devices that can connect to your network. And if one network is compromised, it will spread throughout the entire system causing huge problems. Keeping your Wi-Fi safe by taking these precautions is a step you must remember.
Monitor your systems
Maybe it’s not easy to just walk into a place of business, plug in a USB key, and spread a virus, but it’s not impossible. Many companies take their front desk security for granted, leaving an opening for cyberattacks to happen right out in public. Just as you monitor your systems from within, you must also monitor your systems physically at the front end.
Firewall installation
Placing a firewall, if you don’t already have this installed, is a no-brainer. A firewall is a line of defense against brute attacks. These are attacks that hit hard and with powerful weapons. Without a firewall, you could be looking at an entire system shutdown. While it may seem obvious that you should install a firewall, many people simply look over it because it’s a simple defense. They may use other types of boundaries, but the ones they use may have weaknesses that the classic firewall doesn’t have. It’s just a good idea to keep using one.
Endpoint protection
To secure systems attached to mobile devices and tablets, you’ll need endpoint protection. This is generally VPN (virtual private network) protection. A virtual private network securely sends and receives data by using an IT infrastructure. With a VPN, mobile users, for instance, can access files and other data on their network without being concerned with others having access to this information.
Preventing Cybersecurity Attacks
Learning how to prevent cybersecurity attacks means staying one step ahead of criminals. In fact, cybersecurity is a full-time job, and sometimes you never really stop adjusting, updating, or standing guard at the gate of your precious systems and networks. While cyber-attacks are beyond a pain and cost companies around the world to lose millions of dollars, we must keep fighting the hackers. More importantly, we must always say ahead of the game.
Understanding how to safeguard your computers, mobile devices, and other hardware will not only protect you but will teach you so much in the process. Let’s always try to stay alert and up-to-date on all the new bugs, worms, and phishing scams so we can protect ourselves. It’s what it’s going to take to be safe.
