Small and medium businesses are the most vulnerable to cyber threats. Various surveys show that about 60 per cent of them would close within six months of a major cyber attack. Despite that, few SMEs have an active and up-to-date cybersecurity strategy.
“Cultivating a secure mindset should be the entire team’s responsibility,” says Daniel Markuson, digital privacy expert at NordVPN.
“Yet many businesses have not taken even the basic steps to protect their customers’ data, resources, or their employees. If an attack or data leak occurs, even huge corporations face serious problems, and for smaller ones, it could be the end of the road.”
According to Markuson, a vast majority of businesses focus on detecting a cyber attack rather than avoiding it in the first place. However, industry analysis shows that usually cyber attacks remain undetected for five to six months. During this time the damage is already done.
Here are some tips on how to ensure online safety at work
1. Understand which assets are the most important
Cyber security is not just about computers or smartphones. Almost any connected device can be hacked, so you need an accurate list of all work-related inventory and accounts. Each employee must have their own credentials with an assigned role for each account used. Admin privileges are not for all, especially for accounts that have access to the most important documents.
2. Learn how to protect your business assets
Make sure that all of your computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices are updated regularly. Do the same for software. New updates often make you more secure by fixing vulnerabilities and system bugs. Of course, don’t reuse passwords for different accounts or devices and make sure the passwords are strong. Finally, encrypting your data makes it very difficult to hijack and exploit.
3. Learn how to understand if something has gone wrong
Keep employees informed about the dangers of clicking on links or attachments from unknown sources. Educate them about phishing attacks or social engineering. Create a cyber security test or use one provided online to understand how much your employees know about security online.
4. Have an action plan and react quickly to minimise the impact
Nowadays, even small businesses need to have strict, company-wide policies and steps to tackle cyber crimes effectively. If having such strategy sounds complicated, start with using examples provided online. They are better than nothing.
5. Understand what resources are needed to recover after a breach
First of all, regularly back up your data―offsite and offline. If you lose access to important documents or client CRM, you will be able to restore them quickly.
