The increase in incidents of data breaches and cyberattacks in the last few years has made it clear that hackers are getting more interested in business data. With the evolution of the threat landscape, it has been observed that attacks are getting more sophisticated. Even the risks that were previously been ignored by experts as unlikely to happen are being seen to happen with more regularity.

These attacks have made it critical for business leaders to wake up to the fact that all companies and individuals are susceptible to a data breach. Businesses must take steps to increase their security and awareness as well as be prepared for these new, extremely focused risks.

You need to implement critical internal security policies and take various measures to avoid such attacks and to make sure that your company is prepared for any potential risks. Here, we lay down some basic security tips that you should consider implementing to guarantee the greatest protection possible against attacks from hackers and secure your business’ data.

Set up a security strategy and make cybersecurity your top priority

Protecting your business against cyber-attacks has to begin with you understanding that you are as likely to fall victim to cyber-attacks as anyone else. You can no longer live with the attitude of “It is not going to happen to me”. Downplaying the potential of a cyber-attack puts you at a higher risk of being the next victim of such attacks, which are now spreading at an alarming rate. You need to take cybersecurity seriously and make it a top priority for your business.

You must set up a sound security strategy by classifying your data and determining the precise level of security that will be needed for their protection. One of the most important elements of your security strategy is to ensure that you have appropriate and effective controls in place based on the sensitivity level of your data. You must also be constantly scanning the developments in technology space to seek out the latest trends in security tools and threats.

Promote security awareness in your employees

Employee negligence is the main cybersecurity risk for businesses. Employees regularly become victims of phishing attacks, follow malicious links that can infect the entire network, or accidentally compromise sensitive data while working in public. Thus, your security strategy must take employee training into account to ensure that your employees appreciate the importance of security protocols and data protection.

You can do this by employing an information security officer who trains your employees regularly and educates them on the latest cybersecurity threats and prevention schemes. Also, make sure your employees follow best practices related to passwords and authentication.

They should be able to set up strong passwords and regularly update them to prevent other people from accessing them. Regarding the authentication process, adding an additional layer of security is important to ensure the safety of your remote desktop (RDP) and other software. If you have a lot of devices and remote workers, then you can consider using MFA for RDP. This will ensure that only authorized users have access to their accounts. This feature will be activated once the user logs in and initiates a second verification step before accessing the system.

Encrypt your files to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of your Business’ data

Encryption is the best way to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of your data. Encryption comes in many forms, but end-to-end encryption ensures the highest level of protection for your confidential data. End-to-end encryption happens on the client-side with the files getting encrypted before they leave the host device and stay fully encrypted until they reach their intended destination. You hold the keys for sharing and opening the encrypted files. Even if a breach were to happen, no one else will be able to decrypt the file contents and hence, you will not need to worry about your sensitive business data getting compromised.

Use SSL on your web pages to Secure your Business’ data

SSL certificate is a turnkey solution that encrypts data while it is being exchanged between the client browser and web server.  SSL Encryption is very easy to implement as you do not have to encrypt the files on the server, all you need to do is buy and install the SSL certificate. SSL certificates help you in preventing intruders from intercepting the data being exchanged between the server and web browser.

Not only does an SSL certificate work as an additional security layer on top of the firewall, but it also helps amplify the trustworthiness of your website, especially if you are running an e-commerce store. Once the SSL certificate has been configured, the address bar on the web browser shows a green padlock and HTTPS assuring the customer that the data they send to your website is safe from the peering eyes of hackers.

Keep backups to protect against ransomware

You should always use a good anti-virus program and keep it updated to protect yourself from ransomware, viruses, trojan horse programs, and botnets. However, you should also keep backups in case you do get impacted. Cybercriminals can install ransomware on your systems and take hostage of your business data. Businesses typically end up paying a significant amount of money to get their data back in case of such attacks. You should take regular backups of your data to protect your business against ransomware and other cyber threats. If you have handy backups, you can restore your data easily and ensure that you are able to serve your customers in such circumstances.

Finally, these tips will help your business secure your sensitive data from cyber-attacks. Do not take cybersecurity lightly and have an effective plan in place to protect your data centers, devices, and employees.

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