Introduction
You don't know what you don't know, and that can be dangerous when it comes to cyberattacks. We live in a digital world now, and that means hackers have ample opportunities to exploit our digital vulnerabilities. In some cases, companies may not even be aware their systems have been breached until it's too late.
This lack of knowledge is why it's so important to prepare for the worst when it comes to cyber security. Thankfully, there are a number of strategies that businesses can employ to protect themselves from malicious cyber attacks. In this article, we'll look at some of the best ways to prepare for the worst and how you can keep your data safe from prying eyes.
Why Is Cyber Security Important?
You may think cyber security isn’t that important, but the reality is that cyber crime can have a devastating effect on you and your business. Cyber criminals can steal your data and information, introduce malware to your systems, or disrupt or even completely shut down operations.
That’s why it’s so important to have the right strategies in place to protect against cyber attacks. Some of the steps you should take include:
Installing antivirus software on all devices
Creating secure passwords and changing them regularly
Educating staff members on security awareness
Developing a policy on data backup and storage
Keeping all software regularly updated
By taking these steps, you're preparing yourself to handle any situation in which malicious actors may try to access your systems. As an added bonus, investing in cyber security will also help build customer trust as they know their information is safe with you!
Understanding Your Networks and Data
The first step to preparing for cyberattacks is understanding your networks and data. Identifying the places where your data lives and ensuring you have a way to control access can go a long way towards protecting your business.
You should keep an inventory of all of the locations where sensitive data is stored, as well as any access controls that guard it—like passwords. It's important to remember to use strong passwords and set up two-factor authentication wherever possible. You should also ensure you have strong firewalls set up, or use cloud-based security solutions, to further protect your data from external threats.
Once you have an inventory of where the most vulnerable information is kept, you can tailor your security solutions accordingly. This helps ensure only the people that need it have access, reducing potential attack vectors and improving overall security.
What to Do When You Experience an Attack
When you experience a cyber attack, it might be tempting to try and do the investigation yourself, but that is not necessarily the best strategy. It's important to have the proper resources and expertise in place before reacting to any incident.
Steps for Responding to an Attack
When it comes to responding to a cyber attack, there are some basic steps you should take:
Isolate any affected systems from your internal network so as not to spread any malware.
Conduct a thorough investigation of the attack, including identifying how access was gained, what data, if any, was accessed or stolen, and who is responsible.
Contact your IT provider or a specialized team such as a cyber security firm to help with forensic analysis and assist with containment of the attack.
Take appropriate legal action based on the findings of your investigation, such as filing an insurance claim or warning other organizations about similar attacks they could face.
Implement additional protections against future attacks such as updating systems with the most current security patches and hardening system configurations.
Having a plan in place for responding effectively to a cyber attack can prevent serious repercussions such as data theft or disruption of service—as well as help bring peace of mind knowing that your digital assets are secure.
Securing Critical Infrastructure
As mentioned before, one of the most important things you can do to protect your business and its customers is to ensure that any critical infrastructure is secure. This means taking steps to make sure any systems, networks, or applications that hold crucial and sensitive information are protected from cyber threats. Here are a few tips to help secure your critical infrastructure:
Implement Additional Firewalls
Firewalls are essential for network security. Installing additional firewalls into routers and ensuring they are properly configured can further protect your critical infrastructure from threats like malicious software.
Utilize Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires more than just a username and password to access an account or system -- such as a physical device like a card, biometric authentication like fingerprints scans, or additional codes sent via text messages. By implementing MFA across every part of your critical infrastructure, you can add an extra layer of security and reduce the likelihood of unauthorized personnel accessing sensitive data.
Deploy System Updates Regularly
Software updates come with fixes for bugs and vulnerabilities which can be exploited by malicious actors. To protect your systems from malicious attacks, ensure software patches are updated properly—not doing this regularly is one of the most common reasons why organizations fall victim to cyber attacks The good news is that automating system updates can greatly facilitate this process.
Applying Security to Applications
It's essential to apply security to your applications, especially if you have customers that use the software. This can include:
Encryption
Encryption is the process of encoding data with codes, so only an authorized person can access it. When you encrypt data, it’s difficult for hackers or other malicious actors to gain access from outside of your network.
Multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security process that requires users to verify their identities by providing more than one form of authentication. This could be a combination of something they know (like a password), something they have (like a cellphone), and/or something they are (like facial recognition). With this extra layer of security in place, it's far more difficult for someone to breach your system.
Regular software updates
The last key feature when it comes to application security is making sure that your software is up-to-date with the latest version—often referred to as patching. Small updates and patches make sure that any vulnerabilities are fixed promptly, so there's less risk of an attack happening.
By taking the time to apply all three of these strategies, you'll make sure that any applications you use or develop—as well as those used by your customers—are secure and protected against cyber threats.
What to Do if Unauthorized Access Occurs
If your data is breached and unauthorized access occurs, your first step should be to report it to the authorities and take a look at the logs to see what happened. It’s critical to act quickly and decisively-notifying anyone who was affected, patching any vulnerabilities and alerting law enforcement.
Monitor user accounts
You should also monitor user accounts closely, this way you can detect any suspicious activity from new users or accounts that have been inactive for a long period. This is done through specialized software that constantly scans for anomalies in the normal behavior of users on the system.
Implement redundant backups
It’s also essential to have redundant backups of your data in case all else fails cyber attacks can inflict serious damage on an organization's data, so having pre-existing backups means you can quickly restore lost information or perform forensics on what happened without missing a beat.
Take preventive measures
Finally, one of the best ways to protect against cyber attacks to take preventive measures. This includes making sure all of your devices are kept up-to-date with security patches, implementing strong passwords that are regularly changed, and using anti-malware tools like antivirus software or firewalls.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it's essential that businesses and organizations of all sizes do their part to protect their networks and data from cyber attacks. By investing in strong cyber security measures, you can prevent unauthorized access to your critical infrastructure, applications and data.
It's important to put in place strategies to identify and mitigate cyber threats, and continuously monitor and update systems and networks to ensure the highest levels of security. The better prepared you are for a cyber attack, the more likely it is that you can successfully protect yourself and your organization from a devastating incident.