Educate and train Small Business employees
No matter how much you secure your systems and networks, the majority of attacks are happening as a result of unaware or careless employees, according to an industry report. So the first step towards creating an effective secure environment is to make your employees aware and train them to follow the steps to avert any hacking attempt.
Employees must take enough precautions while working and make careful choices not to compromise organization security. If the employees are properly trained by the best cyber security course, they transform themselves from liabilities to assets, who act as the first line of defense.
Secure endpoint devices
Endpoint devices are basically devices at the end of a network. These devices could be a laptop, mobile, tablet, even servers, etc. These devices are most vulnerable to malware or hacking attempts. These devices must be secured to prevent any hacking attempt or breach.
Anti-virus software and other tools block viruses and other malware. Many modern endpoint security solutions or platforms scan and block malware constantly using updated threat lists. It helps in protecting devices on the network in real-time.
Fix or patch security issues
The very next step in securing the organization’s environment is to patch and fix security issues. Any loophole or vulnerability discovered must be fixed as soon as possible. Because these loopholes or vulnerabilities then could be used to compromise the environment’s security.
Many malware attacks like Ransomware are exploiting these loopholes, which remain unpatched and then lock the whole system and demand ransom. Businesses need strict policies in place to fix a vulnerability through proper techniques. Currently, remote work is creating a lot more problems because now fixing these vulnerabilities is much more difficult.
Deploy Firewalls
Firewalls are underrated security measures. They act as the first line of defense to all the incoming and outgoing communications. Firewalls block all unauthorized content that tries to communicate and plant malicious content in your device. Even if the malicious package has been delivered, firewalls prevent the packages from communicating with the control or command server thereby saving the data from getting locked.
Enforce a strict password policy
Strict password policies must be implemented to extend the security measures and to keep users’ profiles secure. Even though employees might show resistance or carelessness to it, the policy to keep a strong password must be implemented. A strong password requires numbers, special characters, upper and lowercase letters.
Prepare an incident response plan.
Prevention is the best way to avert danger. But the major aspect of Cybersecurity is how the company will respond to an attack. Incident response is the response to a cyber-attack. Which strategies and tactics you will use to stop cybercriminals from taking over your security systems and environments. You must proceed with the belief that no systems are 100% secure. No matter how much effort you put in, still, your system could be breached, and data theft can happen.
Every business must have a solid Incident Response Plan. These steps outline every single step when the company detects a breach, like who will take the responsibility, what steps to follow, what type of response to adapt, etc. Organizations must keep these plans handly and ready because planning after the cybercriminals have struck will only delay the response and increase the damage. As some attacks spread malware very fast across the network, the response time in such a situation is very critical.
Create a Cross-functional security team
A fully functional effective security team has a good mix of technical and non-technical professionals. The priority of any cybersecurity team is to anticipate an attack, and whenever it’s happening they must follow the protocols and strategy that they have clearly outlined in their Incident Response Plan. A Cross-Functional team consists of the IT team and all the other employees working in a company. Because fighting a breach or an attack is one thing and informing all the employees regarding the cyber-attack is another.
The technical team will start working on getting the systems clear of any malware, follow the tactics, and get the systems up and running as soon as possible. But at the same time the clients, stakeholders, PR team, HR, and the legal team must be informed about the status and the extent of the attack.
Conclusion
Small businesses worry about the state of their cybersecurity measures. They feel they are not adequate. According to a report, 88% of companies feel that their business is at risk of a cyber-attack. Despite this fact, many companies have not taken the proper initiative to fix the situation and protect themselves. Cyber-attacks are increasing at a rapid pace, and since the pandemic started, companies and small businesses are facing the heat from hackers. So not putting up efforts will only make the matter worse. Take the help of a consultant to recommend the correct strategies, tactics, and steps to take when you don’t have the clue on how to start.
