As more and more confidential business information is stored using cloud services, it’s imperative that we up our game in the cyber security stakes. For the SMEs of the world, it can be a minefield to implement such strategies and resources are either limited or costly, but as the criminals operating in cyber space are evolving their techniques at a rapid rate, the risk of attack increases.
“The number one concern for businesses is that both the customer information and sensitive company information is kept secure, as the world’s interconnectivity is increasing it becomes everyone’s responsibility to keep the information safe” Yusuf Yenegah, Director of Microbyte Solutions explains, “Information like this can be critical to fend off competition so creating a ‘cyber safe’ culture among your employees can put your business at a significant advantage”.
Enforce Password Policies
Given enough time, cyber attackers can crack any system; computers aren’t good at choosing complex passwords so it is vital that each member of staff changes their password if a generated one has been made. Make it clear that ALL passwords should be at least 11 characters long, a mix of upper and lower case and special characters. Put in place software that will impose these password policies and prevent previous passwords from being recycled.
Secure passwords can be IMPOSSIBLE to remember, so using a password manager can make them much easier to handle. This software stores all of the passwords to systems, but they can only be accessed when the master password is entered, meaning staff only have to remember one.
Your staff should also be required to change their passwords at regular set intervals – the longer it sits on the system, the more vulnerable it becomes.
Use Antivirus Software and Firewalls
A computer virus is a file that was written with the sole intention of inflicting harm and criminal activity once opened, consequences can include identity theft, corruption of data, and damage to the computer.
Antivirus software must be kept up to date to combat the thousands of new virus’s that are detected each year, and as long as the annual subscription is paid and your computer is online, most of the programs will update automatically. Antivirus software protects you by scanning emails for attached viruses, monitoring files for infection, and periodically scanning files on the computer. Some antivirus software will also perform scans on USB devices connected to the computer.
A firewall can come in the form of software or hardware and act like a filter between your network and the internet, what is allowed to filter through is pre-programmed. There are a number of methods that firewalls use to filter out the data, and they can be used in combination and work at different layers of the network.
They serve to protect businesses in different ways, for example they can be configured to prevent your staff from sending specific types of emails or accessing certain website or you may want to restrict file sharing to one computer.
