Network Threats – How to Protect Your Assets
Network breaches are becoming a common fear among IT professionals. Connection to the internet brings efficiency, convenience, and other key advantages while simultaneously leaving your information in danger of theft. To mitigate these risks, network security needs to be a critical component of your IT department.
There are several types of attacks that have become common over the years, including malware, phishing attempts, viruses, and more. According to IBM’s latest Data Breach Report, businesses all over the world are at risk of attacks averaging losses at around $4.35 million. If your company is located in the United States, expect that average to double to $9.44 million. IBM also reports a boost in ransomware by 41%.
How Can You Protect Your Business Data?
Breach attempts will happen, so it’s best to prepare – you need to have a fortified security framework to fend off online aggressors. To start protecting against cyberattacks, begin by following these simple steps:
1. Keep industry-standard security software up to date.
The first step to bolstering your security is to have the proper software and antiviral programs in place. Install the same, quality security programs on every computer to filter out most cyberattacks and continue to update those programs as patches are released. Set up automatic updates to ensure that you’re using the correct version without the hassle.
2. Install additional network security protocols.
Most security software includes tools to prevent network vulnerabilities such as firewalls, automatic maintenance, and scheduled scans for threats. For added security, use VPNs to protect your IP address, segment your network to prevent large-scale data loss, and configure multi-factor authentication for users on your network.
3. Implement access policies.
In addition to multi-factor authentications, you can increase security by requiring strong passwords (a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters) on each user account. Regular credential verification is a simple way to lock out unauthorized users and protect against data loss.
4. Train your staff in basic network security protections.
An untrained employee can pose a significant risk to any formidable security system. Phishing attempts in particular trick employees into freely giving up account/security information, causing internal leaks that can be hard to trace. Regularly training your employees in cybersecurity protocols and how to spot potential scams will keep out online attacks from this front.
American Lazer – CommSat is an industry leader in cybersecurity management. If you’re looking to increase the effectiveness of your current framework, connect with us today to learn more about if our security options are right for you: call us at 978-309-9900 or email us at [email protected].
