How confident are you in your existing cybersecurity measures? Do you feel fully prepared to withstand malware attacks against your business in the coming year?
According to Datto’s latest Global State of the Channel Ransomware Report, 56% of managed service providers (MSPs) reported attacks against their clients during the first half of 2019. In addition, 85% of MSPs revealed ransomware was the most common malware threat to clients.
Even with cybersecurity measures in place, such as antivirus and email/spam filters, businesses are increasingly coming under attack. It’s clear that single focus cybersecurity solutions are no longer guaranteed to defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks.
With 1 in 5 businesses targeted by ransomware each year, the risk is even greater for businesses that don’t outsource their IT support, as well as for those without a multilayered approach to cybersecurity.
As cyber attacks grow more sophisticated and coordinated, protecting your business from malware and ransomware will only get harder. It’s time for all business owners to step up when it comes to cybersecurity, whatever your level of confidence in your current security measures.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is the process of protecting your technology, networks, and programs from malicious attacks. Most cyber attacks are launched to access, change, or destroy sensitive information, hold information for ransom or interrupt normal business processes.
Cybersecurity involves a multilayered approach, using systems, processes, and people, to ensure your business is protected from malware, ransomware, phishing and other forms of cyber attack.
Examples of Common Cybersecurity Measures
Cybersecurity comes in a variety of forms, with the most common measures including:
Antivirus software – a program designed to prevent, detect, and remove software viruses, in addition to other malicious software like worms, trojans, adware, and more.
Email/spam filters – a program that manages and organises the flow of incoming email messages by identifying safe emails and relegating suspicious emails to a junk or spam folder.
Ad/pop-up blockers – extensions that work with your browser to block ads and pop-ups from appearing, protecting your system from ad malware and other online threats.
Endpoint detection – an emerging technology that monitors endpoint and network events, recording information in a central database for further analysis, investigation, and reporting.
You may already be utilising some of these measures in your current cybersecurity processes. However, given the growing threat of malware, it’s important to approach cybersecurity in a multilayered way, as relying solely on one line of defence is no longer enough.
Protecting your Business from Cyber Attack
So, with the threat of cyber attack growing, how can you protect your business from phishing, malware and ransomware? There are a number of ways to increase your cybersecurity measures in a multilayered way, to provide the best form of defence for your business.
Strong Passwords: weak passwords continue to be one of the biggest risks to cybersecurity. Ensure passwords are strong and unique, are regularly updated and discourage users from reusing old passwords to boost your security.
Two Factor Authentication (2FA): in addition to a username and password, 2FA offers an extra layer of security used to verify the identity of users. 2FA requires users to provide another piece of information before they can gain access to your system.
Encryption: use encryption technology across all systems to ensure the secure exchange of data and prevent the risk of cyber attack. Encryption is especially important when collecting personal or financial data from customers, to protect their privacy as well as your reputation.
Backups: Unfortunately, you can’t prevent every cyber attack so backup your system regularly to minimise disruption and loss of data. Off-site backup of your systems can also boost security by holding sensitive information away from your main systems, limiting unauthorised access.
Training: the best technology and systems can’t operate effectively without trained users. Take the time to train your users in cybersecurity and reinforce the importance of their role in protecting the integrity and security of your systems.
Technology: layer your processes and training with up-to-date technology solutions designed to protect your business. Invest in quality antivirus programs, install email filters and ad blockers and consider outsourcing your security needs to a professional.
With cyber attacks on the rise, can you risk your business becoming a target?
Get in touch with the experts at Trouble Free Computing Solutions to boost your cybersecurity with a multilayered approach that will help protect your business from harm. Call us on (02) 4911 9072 or contact us online to find out more.