Your life and business are digital, and you must protect them. Think about the amount of data you share or store on your mobile, tablet, laptop, or desktop, now think of what would happen if any of that got into the wrong hands. Your life and work could be disrupted or financially ruined if you do not take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. Cyberattack attacks are becoming more common, but there are ways you can protect yourself.
What is a Cyberattack?
A cyberattack is a corruption, unauthorized access, exposure, theft, or destruction of an IT system. There are various ways that your IT system could be attacked, but the most common forms are:
- Malware: This is malicious software like viruses, worms, ransomware, and spyware
- Denial of service attacks: The flooding of servers or networks with traffic to exhaust bandwidth or resources.
- Man in the middle attack or eavesdropping: Occurs when an attacker inserts themselves between a two-party interaction to record or steal data.
- Phishing: The use of fraudulent communication that looks like it’s from a legitimate source to gain sensitive information or download malware.
Why Should You Care?
Your data and devices hold vital information about your business. This information could be sold off to competitors, used to blackmail you, used to access your financial resources and so much more. Furthermore, a data breach could be damaging to your reputation and land you with severe fines from regulators.
A report on data breaches released in 2019, found that 43 percent of attacks were against small businesses. Seventy-one percent of the attacks were financially motivated, and 25 percent were used to gain a strategic advantage.
Tips for Monitoring and Preventing Cyberattacks
To monitor and prevent cyberattacks, you must instill discipline, dedication, and data resources. It needs the business to invest in the right tools, train its staff on cybersecurity, and:
- Have a cybersecurity policy that sets out clear guidelines and data policy on IT security. This will include issues like levels of access, security protocols,
- Cybersecurity software is at the center of any IT protection. Anti-ransom ware, anti-virus, and anti-spyware should be installed on all devices. Click here for more information on stopping ransomware.
- Train employees on cybersecurity. They are the key to a safer workplace. All the tools and policies do not matter if the employees do not know how to use them or put them into practice.
- Protect your networks. The network your devices use to connect with the internet, along with the internet service provider, is key to keeping your data safe. Installing firewalls will protect your network and choosing the right service provider will keep you protected.
- Keep all software, primarily operating software, updated. Software updates come with security patches that protect your data and network.
- Keep backups. Should your data become corrupted or destroyed, you can restore your IT system using backups.
Remember, Defense is Key
It is possible to recover from a cyberattack, but you will still have incurred losses. A cyberattack can disrupt business, cost you money in fines, and do damage to your brand. Rather than going through all of that, proactively manage your cybersecurity and minimize the risks of a cyberattack.