Cyberattacks are a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. According to RiskIQ’s 2021 Evil Internet Minute Report, cybercrimes cost organizations a mind-boggling $1.79 million per minute. While that’s a big number, many companies are finding it’s not just financial loss they have to deal with as a result of cybercrimes. Many businesses now need to spend time, money, and energy rebuilding trust with customers and partners who have been negatively impacted by cybercrime in recent years. If you want to build your human firewall against cyberattacks, you must take the steps outlined below. And for more professional advice, check out Chapel Hill IT support by Computerbilities, Inc.
Build A Culture Of Security From The Bottom Up
The foundation of any cybersecurity strategy is building a culture of security from the bottom up. This means starting with an examination of your company’s culture and making sure that it is built on a foundation of security practices. For example, if you have a culture where you don’t share information or don’t have clear lines of communication, employees are unlikely to report security incidents. This can lead to a false sense of security among your employees, leaving your business vulnerable to cyberattacks. Another example of building a culture of security from the bottom up is creating a strong set of HR policies that help protect your company from data breaches. If you have clear HR policies around data privacy and security, you give your employees the tools they need to protect data and the company from cyberattacks.
Create A Strong User Authentication Strategy
A strong authentication strategy is the backbone of a cybersecurity plan. It’s your way of identifying who is accessing your systems and what privileges they have. There are a couple of key components to this strategy. The first is choosing the right authentication method and then setting up the system to use that method effectively. You can choose a variety of methods, including one-time passwords, biometrics or token-based systems. For example, if you choose biometric authentication, you might require employees to log in by scanning their fingerprints. This is a strong method because it doesn’t rely on something that could be compromised, such as a password. But even a strong method has limitations. For example, if you require biometric authentication but don’t have systems in place to support it, you may create a system that is difficult or impossible for your employees to use.
Train Your Employees
Effective training can help reduce the likelihood of human error and make your authentication strategy more effective. There are a number of best practices for training employees, including:
– Create a risk-based training program – One-size-fits-all training may not be enough for employees at every level. Employees who are involved with high-risk activities, such as managing financial data or creating content for customers, may need additional training.
– Provide interactive training whenever possible – A lesson that doesn’t engage your employees is a lesson that doesn’t change behavior. You can improve your training effectiveness by providing interactive training in which employees are actively engaged.
– Keep training fresh – You may get through your initial training program, but don’t assume you can stop there. Data breaches, new threats and changes in company policy mean that you need to keep training fresh.
Conduct phishing tests.
Phishing is a form of social engineering that is used in many cyberattacks. In fact, it’s one of the most common methods of gaining access to sensitive information from employees. A phishing test will help you discover how effectively your employees can spot a phishing attack. You can conduct phishing tests by sending your employees emails that appear to be from a trusted source but are aimed at tricking the recipient into clicking a malicious link or downloading harmful content. Once you know which employees are falling for these scams, you can take steps to help them recognize phishing attempts. You can also use this information to create better training programs that help your employees avoid falling for phishing attempts in the future.
Use the right tools
We all know no cybersecurity strategy is 100% effective, but there are certain tools that can greatly improve your security.
Endpoint protection software — This software protects your computers from malware and other threats.
Cloud-based collaboration software — This software allows employees to work together easily and securely.
Incident response software — This software helps manage and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
VPN software — This software secures connections between computers, networks, and other devices.
Authentication and single sign-on software — This software authenticates users automatically and secures their access to the network or systems.
Measure & Monitor
Just because you’ve implemented the above best practices doesn’t mean you’ll be safe from cyberattacks. To ensure you are protecting your business and securing your data, you must measure and monitor. This includes measuring how long it takes to detect a threat and respond to it, as well as how long it takes an employee to respond to a legitimate request. Monitoring your Internet bandwidth, bandwidth usage, and an Internet connection can also help you find and fix issues before they turn into problems. Finally, monitoring your data for unauthorized access, outbound transfers, and other suspicious activity can help you quickly identify a problem and take appropriate action.
