4 Simple Ways to Help Protect Your Business From Cybercrime

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonha-revesencio/4-simple-ways-to-help-pro_b_8997746.html

Years ago, if we wanted to protect our homes and our businesses from theft,
the main thing we needed to do was install good locks and security cameras,
purchase insurance, and be aware of how to avoid hold-ups. In today's
technologically-driven world though, it's not that simple. These days,
global cybercrime requires individuals and companies to be wary of thieves
who operate from the relative safety of their personal location, and who
can simply sit behind a computer to steal personal data, trade secrets, and
money.

In fact, when it comes to businesses specifically, cyberattacks generally
cause small and medium-sized firms to lose around $200,000 on average each
year. Many of these companies (around two-thirds) actually end up forced
out of business within just six months of the attack, because it takes such
a toll on the organization. Similarly, on a personal level, even tech
products and apps created by giants such as Apple can come under threat,
with a recent malware attack on the iOS app store being evidence of the
issue.

If you want to do what you can to help protect your business, it pays to
stay up to date on the best ways to go about it. To really study the area,
you can learn about the history and current trends in cybercrime by
enrolling in an online cybersecurity degree or encourage one of your IT
employees to increase their training. If you just want some quick takeaways
that you can implement today to help keep your business protected from
online thieves, read on for four main ways you can keep confidential
information away from prying eyes.

1. Choose Good Passwords
One of the most basic things to do in order to protect your systems from
cybercrime is to make sure your employees select secure passwords that
can't be easily guessed by hackers. Even though you might think people know
better, the most common passwords used around the world today are still
things like "123456" and the word "password."

If you want to be smart about your business's digital security, make sure
that employees use passwords that contain a combination of letters (both
lower-case and capital), numbers, and symbols. Ideally, passwords should be
between eight to 12 characters in length, and should avoid referring to
personal data such as the name of children, partner, pets, or family birth
dates.

In addition, encourage that employees try to vary passwords on different
devices and for different websites, so that they don't just have the one
code used everywhere. This way, if a password does happen to be hacked, a
criminal won't be able to access all of your accounts. Furthermore, you
should also have your employees update their passwords on a regular basis,
around every eight to 12 weeks.

2. Install Protective Software and Firewalls
Another simple yet effective way to protect your data and systems from
being accessed is to install protective software and firewalls. Purchase
anti-spam and antivirus software and spyware, and then install it on every
computer and other Internet-connected device in your office. This
protection helps to avoid malicious viruses and software from getting into
your systems via a Wi-Fi connection, websites, or spam emails.

Unfortunately, many hackers use malware that gets into computer systems and
then installs codes that run in the background on your computers. You won't
even know that your keystrokes and all your login details are being
captured by this code and then relayed back to cybercriminals, but it's
actually one of the biggest money and information-generating techniques
used by hackers. If you install (and keep updated) proper protective
software though, you should be able to stop this malware from doing harm.

Firewalls are also a must, especially for businesses who take customer data
and other sensitive information via Internet-based programs. Firewalls are
designed to protect computers from thieves who try to access things like
credit card numbers, passwords and personal details. You can potentially
turn on the firewalls that come already installed on many operating
systems, or else choose to purchase a more comprehensive third-party
version.

3. Keep Computers Updated
Another safety technique you can employ is to ensure that all of your
business computers' software and hardware is updated regularly. You'll find
that the latest versions of operating systems are the safest, and are the
ones you should be utilizing. In addition, if you update programs often,
this will help to identify any security holes or other potential issues
that sometimes pop up when programming changes are made or new software is
installed.

4. Educate Staff
Lastly, if you run a business, you should also discuss cybercrime with your
team. Educate your staff on common hacking techniques, and require all
employees to update their logins on office software and hardware on a
regular basis -- with, of course, only strong passwords!

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