Cybersecurity Awareness Month is finally here and we want you to be protected. Data breaches are becoming more common and sophisticated, making it essential that you take the necessary steps to protect your organization.
There are over 300 million fraudulent sign-in attempts to our cloud services every day, Microsoft security reported. There are around 2,200 cyberattacks a day, making you a statistically likely victim.
“The number of cyber incidents is increasing, and the costs associated with them are also on the rise. In fact, the average cost of a data breach grew from $3.62 million in 2017 to $4 million in 2018.”, IBM security reported.
With that said, here are five security tips to help get your organization ready to protect against the ever-growing threat landscape this Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Think Before You Click: Recognize and Report Phishing
If a link looks a little off, think before you click. It could be an attempt to get sensitive information or install malware.
Common signs to recognize in order to prevent phishing are:
- Incorrect spelling/grammar
- Unusual sender domain names
- A sense of urgency
If you are unsure, always lean on the side of caution and reach out to the company or individual via a different method to verify. And if you do receive a phishing email, report it to your IT department or security team immediately.
Not sure if your business is at risk? Complete our free cybersecurity checklist here.
Keep Your Software Updated
Don’t delay—if you see a software update notification, act promptly. Better yet, turn on automatic updates. Software updates often include security patches that can help protect your devices and data from newly discovered vulnerabilities. If you are even a day late to update your device, you could be potentially at risk.
Use Strong Passwords
Using passwords that are long, unique, and randomly generated increases the strength of your password, making it more difficult to get hacked. Having the same password across all platforms makes it easy for hackers to gain access to all of your accounts if they manage to crack just one – making it a cyber nightmare if they manage to succeed.
Using password managers to help generate unique passwords for each application and software for each account is a great way to improve the security of your accounts.
A password manager will encrypt passwords, promptly securing them for you! And when you do update your passwords, ensure that they’re updated across all devices.
Implementing a password policy within your organization ensures your entire team is following the best guidelines when it comes to creating strong passwords and changing as needed. AIS can help develop a password policy that works for your unique set of business needs.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication(MFA)
You need more than a password to protect your online accounts, and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked, blocking over 99.9 percent of account compromise attacks.
MFA is a security process that requires more than one form of identification before someone can access data or systems adding an additional layer of security. This can be something that:
- You know (i.e. a password)
- You have (i.e. a phone)
- You are (i.e. a fingerprint)
Enabling MFA across all accounts and applications is not only a smart idea but is now required by most cyber insurance policies as a basic cybersecurity control that organizations must have in place to receive coverage.
Security Awareness Training
Employees are often the weak link in an organization’s security, so it’s important to educate them on how to spot threats and what to do if they receive a suspicious email. A surefire way of implementing this is by making sure everyone in your organization is on the same page when it comes to security protocols. Investing in cybersecurity awareness training for your employees is the best route. This will help reduce the chances of a successful phishing attack and increase the overall security posture of your company.
AIS Can Help Protect Your Organization From Cyber Attacks
Following these 5 cybersecurity tips will reduce your risk of cyber-attacks significantly just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
If you fear you’re at risk, have already fallen victim, or have any questions on what security measures to take, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for top-notch security. AIS is proud to provide IT services to businesses of all sizes. We’re here to help you protect what matters most.