Many of us have been so focused on keeping business up and running during a global pandemic that we forgot the cybercriminals don’t take sick days. We were abruptly reminded of this by the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack on May 7, 2021. The pipeline system carries gasoline from Houston, Texas, to the Southeastern United States. Attackers demanded a ransom of 75 bitcoin (almost $5 million) to restore the supply line.
2020 Opened Doors For Cyber Criminals
The reality is that businesses with people working from home, that are short-staffed or operating a hybrid workforce are seeing vulnerabilities they never have before.
Here are some tips you, your employees, and your security staff can use to protect your data.
- Hire a white-hat hacker to detect weaknesses in your system and repair them.
- Back up your data as a company and encourage employees to back up their own work product in the cloud or an external drive.
- Install encryption on all devices and drives and encrypt any emails that contain sensitive information.
- Add a firewall to your network if you don’t already have one. If your server is hosted offsite, ask them how you are protected.
- Secure any hardware containing data or network access. This includes employee mobile devices or laptops.
- Be sure the latest anti-virus protection software is installed and regularly updated.
- Remind employees to use strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Be sure any customers or vendor partners with access to your systems have strong security as well.
- Train your employees on the importance of maintaining cybersecurity best practices.
- Do your best to avoid storing business information on technology or devices you share with family, friends, or roommates.
- Limit access to information on a need-to-know basis. Add levels of protection for additional security.
- If you allow employees to use personal devices to access company data, be sure steps are taken to protect your business.
- Have a backup in place to get your business back up and running quickly in the event of data loss.
Remind employees of essential cybersecurity best practices:
- Back up regularly to prevent data loss.
- Lock your screen and have separate logins if using a shared computer.
- Make sure your connection to your work network is secure.
- Password protect your Wi-Fi to be sure your connection is secure.
- Check that emails appear to be from a trusted source. Don’t click on unknown links.
- Install anti-virus software and keep it updated.
- Know the escalation process in case of any security issues.
Keep your Business and Data Secure
The right security team can make all the difference in keeping your people and property safe. Contact BOS Security at 404-793-6965 to learn more. We can help you develop and implement a security plan to keep your critical data safe.
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