Protecting your Small Business against Cyber attacks
Small businesses are a big target for cyber-attacks. According to a recent article by Forbes.com citing the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2019 over 40% of world-wide attacks are targeted at small businesses.
Some of the most common forms of cyber-crimes are:
- Phishing. This is an attempt to obtain sensitive info such as usernames and passwords usually made by email or messaging. The email can contain malware or ransomware.
- Malware is software designed to damage a computer, server or network.
- Ransomware is software designed to block computer access until money is paid.
- Computer virus. Software that infects computers by inserting itself into computer files.
There are steps you can take to help protect your small business.
- Identify the threat by performing risk assessments on critical data that could be vulnerable and valuable to someone else. Ask what would be the consequences of an attack?
- Consider how you are storing information and who has access to it. Employees should only access what they need to do their job.
- Employees should also receive training for internet safety. They should have an awareness of phishing emails and the dangers of using unsecure Wi-Fi connections if they work remotely.
- Use anti-virus software/firewall and keep it up to date.
- Ensure you perform regular back-ups and keep them in a separate location.
- Use a two-factor authentication for remote workers or for when you are required to share personal information. This means having an additional authentication step other than just username and password, such as security questions or a text message asking for a passcode.
This post is intended as a starting guide for steps to take. For more information visit –https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/small-business-guide
