Cyber attacks have been constantly in the news recently (September 2021). For many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) cyber security is a huge concern as many do not have the correct protection in place. Each day there are thousands of threats, which is why every business needs to know how to protect your business from cyber attacks. In this article we will educate you on the risks involved and how to implement the best protection for your business.
Hybrid Working
As the Coronavirus pandemic has shaped the way we work, the matter of hybrid working from home and cafes have increased the risks of attacks. As more employees started working from home it became apparent that not all companies had the adequate infrastructure to provide solid security protection in a remote working environment. During the pandemic, a rise in cyber attacks increased to a staggering 400%. In addition, ransomware attacks alone increased by 800%. Therefore, this makes a strong case that ignoring how your company’s security infrastructure is set up is not wise. The IT Support Group would be more than happy to help with any security query you have, please contact us today.
Virus and Malware Protection
It is vital to have virus protection installed on all your devices. While Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS do include out of the box virus protection, these don’t cut it for businesses. For home environments their virus protections can be sufficient, but they fall short of providing rigorous protection for businesses. The IT Support Group recommend implementing a third-party antivirus product that is suited for your business needs. Our IT experts can help you discover what product will best protect you from cyber attacks.
Third-party antivirus products will build on the security that is already built into your machine. There are many cyber attacks out there such as trojans, worms, crypto-attacks, ransomware and many more. Ensuring that all your computers have antivirus programs and that your internet router and servers have firewalls installed will protect your business. The IT Support Group can offer advice regarding which products will best suit your company. Simply contact us today and we would be more than willing to help.
Password Protection
Educating your employees on choosing a strong password is a worthwhile task. You will most likely find that many passwords are recycled with slight variations. This is not a wise thing to do. Weak passwords can be dangerous as it increases the risk of cyber attacks. We recommend that using complex passwords is the best way to go. Excellent passwords should include a mixture of upper-case and lower-case characters, numbers, and special characters. We also recommend that your passwords are at least 8 characters long.
In the complex society we live in, we all have dozens and dozens of accounts that all require passwords. Having different passwords for each account will be impossible to remember. Therefore, we suggest using a password manager. It can create unique passwords and store them all in one place. This would be another method out of many that would ensure you protect your business from cyber attacks.
If for whatever reason certain passwords cannot be stored in a password manager, we suggest using long, sentence-based passwords. This will help you remember them. You may still need to include an upper-case or special character, but at least with a sentence-based password you are more likely to remember it.
Regular Updates
Software updates are very important to maintain a high level of protection for any business. Viruses and malware normally exploit unearthed flaws in operating systems or software to execute their payload. Even though antivirus protection is mostly secure, sometimes hackers do find a way to slip in. Operating systems and software vendors, such as Microsoft, have teams that are dedicated to security. The team ensures that flaws in the system are patched up and then issue an update. Therefore, it is crucial to keep all your employees’ devices updated so they have further protection against new threats. Taking such actions would better protect your business from cyber attacks.
Operating systems such as Microsoft, Apple and Android all have automated update features available. This means that whenever there is a new update to protect against a new threat, it will be automatically updated for you. We advise that you check that the automatic updates feature is turned on, on all your devices.
How The IT Support Group Can Help Fight Cyber Attacks
The IT Support Group can provide much help and guidance on developing protections related to all aspects in this article. We have had over 30 years’ experience deploying many security focused services. These include Anti-Virus deployment, patching procedures, MFA enrolment and many more. If you require assistance with cyber security, we would be more than happy to help.
The IT Support Group offer Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. This government driven initiative helps businesses validate their cyber security. We help you to make changes to ensure your business is protected against cyber attacks. Once you pass the assessment you are granted a certificate to proudly show all your clients and customers that you are compliant.
We would love to hear from you and any questions you have concerning cyber security. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01223 901 900, or email us at ask@theitsupportgroup.com
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