Modern businesses rely on technology for nearly every aspect of operations. However, there are many online dangers that can put your business at risk.
Cyber attacks are becoming more popular than ever due to COVID-19 and the switch to remote working for many businesses, and hackers have various ways of attacking and potentially gaining access to your data.
Here are five threats to your IT infrastructure that are worth knowing about and how to protect your business from falling prey to them.
Phishing Emails
Simple human error is often the biggest security vulnerability companies have. And although it’s impossible to avoid it completely—we are all human, after all—there are definitely ways to avoid costly mistakes.
Phishing emails take advantage of human error by creating a sense of urgency in emails that your staff members receive. Many hackers are experts at creating a smokescreen with emails. If your staff member clicks on a malicious link or an attachment, it could result in a virus being downloaded and your systems being breached, resulting in data being stolen or leaked.
To avoid this, it’s important to train your staff when it comes to phishing emails so that they can spot what to look for when it comes to potentially suspicious emails.
Common indicators of phishing emails are misspelled domain names or domains that don’t match the presumed identity of the sender, threats of cancellation or financial repercussions for failure to respond, obvious grammatical and spelling errors, etc.
Weak Access Points
As most businesses have transitioned to remote work, new weak access points are appearing in networks due to new devices in use that are unsecured by a VPN, multi-factor authentication, and other security measures.
Any companies that have weak bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies are prone to having weak access points as well, which can be the perfect storm for allowing cyber attacks to breach your systems if you’re not careful. To avoid this exploitation, it’s important that you’re protecting all endpoints with a multi-layered approach including VPNs, MFA, or cloud security, among other solutions.
You wouldn’t want to leave the front door of your private office unlocked for anyone to just walk in and access your equipment, so why would you do that when it comes to your online security?
Outdated Software
Another area that can be potentially problematic is any outdated software. This is an easy weak spot because there will come a time where old software will no longer be supported by necessary security patches.
The same goes for operating systems; an OS that goes without regular updating, or that is no longer being updated at all because it is now unsupported, poses a significant threat to your security.
Outdated software and systems should be promptly updated and patched whenever such improvements are released; or, if they are unsupported, you should immediately switch to a newer, supported version.
Unmonitored Systems
Hackers will take advantage of weak network security, such as when systems are unmonitored. Constant network monitoring services keep track of any suspicious behavior or potential vulnerabilities in systems in order to proactively prevent attacks and to respond immediately should unverified behavior occur. A’Zalia Delancey Coffey the Daughter of An Actor And Civil Rights Attorney
To take full advantage of constant network monitoring, it’s a good idea to look at outsourcing your IT services so that you have some managed support externally. It can be well worth having in-house staff like an IT manager to look after the daily tasks, but in order to keep track of your systems 24/7, an IT support service can certainly be helpful to have. If you have a reputable, local IT company, they can even provide both in-person and remote support, like the services a professional IT company in Stamford can provide to businesses in Stamford and surrounding areas.
Hidden Networks
Hidden networks may seem like a good idea at first glance, but in reality, they can actually be easier for a hacker to find. To avoid getting hacked through your network, stay off both public and hidden networks, and get the help of a cybersecurity expert who can help you set up a more secure system.
If you’ve identified any of these potential weak spots in your own business, get an IT assessment immediately to see how you can patch up your vulnerabilities. Protecting yourself and your IT infrastructure is going to help keep your company’s data and reputation intact, so do everything you can to make sure that your business is secure both online and offline.
