Cybersecurity remains a massive issue for every business. The numbers are horrifying: There were over 2,084 ransomware attacks on businesses in the first half of 2022 – a 64% increase. These attacks, and others like them, will cost companies billions of dollars.
Far too many businesses make the mistake of assuming that having a cybersecurity insurance policy is enough. To be clear, it is essential. However, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ensuring that your business is adequately protected from hackers and bad actors who want to steal your data. A variety of other protections are critical to protecting your business. More to the point, if you have cybersecurity insurance but don’t have other protections in place, your cybersecurity policy may not pay out if a breach occurs.
What specific protections do you need? There are many examples, including endpoint protection, MFAs, staff cybersecurity training, and vulnerability assessments and testing.
Endpoint Protection
Endpoint protection means applying appropriate security measures around any devices that allow individuals access to your computer network and thus your sensitive data. This can mean many different things, and it is worth noting that the massive rise in Work from Home arrangements has complicated things even further. The use of personal mobile devices and computers means that your network security must be more robust than ever.
Endpoint protection can involve many different specific items, including:
- Cybersecurity training for staff ensures they can understand and recognize a cyber threat.
- An appropriate password policy that tracks devices requires two-step authentication for access and needs passwords to be strong and changed regularly.
- Appropriate threat-detection software can tell when an unauthorized user has gained access to the network.
- Appropriate anti-virus and anti-malware software that can reduce the threat posed by viruses. This software may also involve properly using firewalls that can prevent information from leaving or entering your network.
MFAs
MFA is short for multi-factor authentication. When deployed appropriately, MFAs can better secure a system and ensure that only authorized users can gain access to it.
If a password falls into the wrong hands, it can be devastating for your network, as this may mean that an unauthorized user gains access to your critical data and client information.
MFAs deploy the use of two-factor authentication. With an MFA, a user will log into a system, then have a code texted to them. That code must be entered to gain access to the system. While not foolproof, they can dramatically enhance your network’s protection from bad actors.
Everyday use of MFAs requires them before logging into sensitive information, like a database or email account. However, they can be deployed in multiple ways, potentially using a third or fourth layer of MFA to gain access to extra-sensitive information. MFAs can reduce the risk of stolen passwords, customized per the different levels of access that an individual requires, and can be used so that any access is traced. Traceable access may be necessary if your network is ever broken into.
Staff Cybersecurity Training
Cybersecurity training is critical for any staff, regardless of their position within your organization. For example, if even one person in your company accidentally responds to a phishing email and gives out their username and password, it can compromise your entire network. As such, your entire staff must have the appropriate cybersecurity training.
Such training can review multiple topics, including:
- How to recognize a phishing or social engineering attempt and how to respond to it.
- An update on data threats within a specific industry and how to be made aware of them.
- Appropriate protocols for securing customer data within a database.
- Use of real-world examples that examine specific scenarios that may happen within a company’s industry.
- Appropriate ways to identify scams that are perpetrated digitally, over the phone, or via postal service.
- A review of appropriate tools that can be used to detect and prevent cybersecurity attacks.
Vulnerability Assessments and Testing
The only way a business can determine if its network is safe is by having a vulnerability assessment done. Such an assessment can review the weaknesses within a company’s website or network and make specific recommendations for how these weaknesses can be resolved.
A specific type of vulnerability test is also known as a penetration test. In a penetration test, a hired ethical hacker will simulate a real-world attack and attempt to break into your network. They will do so using all up-to-date computer methods currently deployed by cybercriminals. The results can then be used to appropriately patch your network, make it more secure, and ensure that a real-world hacker can never again access your security. Such testing can take many forms and be combined with staff cybersecurity training. For example, a phishing email can be sent out that simulates a real-world one. Employees who fall for the scam can be sent for further cybersecurity training.
There’s no question that properly protecting your business from cyber threats requires a comprehensive array of solutions that may be beyond your business’s expertise. However, you can find skilled professionals who can completely manage your cybersecurity needs. At
vTECHio, we offer all these services and much more. We can review your cybersecurity insurance policy requirements and ensure that you are covered. We can also provide comprehensive cybersecurity vulnerability assessments, MFAs, and other services.
Are you interested in hearing more? Schedule a call today, and learn more about how we can help your business stay secure.
