Cybersecurity Tips For Small Businesses

In terms of cybersecurity, businesses must know what their weaknesses are so they could fix it. That is why you have to invest in the very best security software for your company and continuous digital education for you staff.

One of the common reasons why cybercriminals target small businesses is intelligence gathering. Data breach is among the possible results of a successful cyberattack. They can involve different kinds of information like intellectual property, documents, financial details, and credit card information. There are instances when cybercriminals mine information about your employees and clients.

Best Cybersecurity Practices For Small Businesses

It all starts with digital security best practices training and education. You have to educate all your staff with the same cybersecurity best practices. In case you have new employees and the best practices have been updated then you should offer refresher training courses.

You need to teach your employees on how they can make digital safety a habit. Here are a few important things that they need to remember.

Software updates – hackers can gain access to your computer network through apps that are outdated and with known vulnerabilities. Be sure that your staff know how to install software patches and updates for operating systems and applications as soon as they are made available.

Password – you have to teach your employees how to create secure passwords. A great solution when it comes to using and remembering strong passwords is by having a reliable password management app. This application will store all of your passwords in a single place and lets you create strong, random, and complex passwords that you don’t have to memorize. They only have to remember the password for the application. You should require your employees to create strong passwords that contain at least 10 characters with symbols, numbers, lower, and uppercase letters. Remind them not to write down their passwords to keep on their workstations or laptop.

Virtual Private Networks – also called VPNs, virtual private networks can help secure your business information. In case someone manages to get your information, what they have is an encrypted data.

Importance of Cybersecurity Awareness

You need to create a culture of cybersecurity awareness in your small business if you don’t want for all the training and education to go to waste. Here are some tips to encourage your staff to protect the information of your business.

Compliance programs – changing passwords must be a regular task and everyone must be doing it.

Rewards programs – you should consider offering rewards for staff who can find ways to enhance cybersecurity around your office like by reporting phishing emails.

Accountability programs – you should encourage your employees to hold one another accountable to make sure that they all comply to the best cybersecurity practices. You should create a system for anonymous reporting or encourage staff to have an open discussion about the topic of cybersecurity with one another.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you need the assistance of an IT team to strengthen or setup only the best cybersecurity measures for you company.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
http://manageditserviceswilmington.com
Cities Served:
Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro

How Can Malware Impact Your Business?

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Malware or malicious software affects businesses everyday. It will disrupt computer and IT processes and during extreme cases can hold to ransom, steal, or even delete ransom valuable personal and business data.

Firewalls and cybersecurity could thwart malware but if you stay vigilant and understand how the various kinds of malware work, it could help you prevent your network and computer becoming infected. Here is a list of the most common forms of malware so you can understand what these terms mean.

Types of Malware

Virus

A virus computer will infect parts or your entire computer system when the file where they have been attached to has been opened. They will spread through email or by downloading the attachments from the internet. They differ on how they function. There are viruses that do little like just changing the desktop wallpaper while others can make your operating system useless.

Worms

Worms are comparable to viruses. Their difference can be seen on how they are spread. They could replicate themselves, which means they don’t need human interaction to be passed from a computer to another. The get this done by entering the email address book of the user and sending out emails that are infected, which pretend as the user of the computer. This could lead to different networks becoming infected in a shorter amount of time.

Ransomware

A kind of malware that is almost always one the news and is on the rise. Ransomware is a kind of software that holds a part, if not all, of your files hostage. It demands a fee from the victim. If they want to have their files back then they should pay the hacker. There is no other way to get the data back other than paying the ransomware.

Trojans

Trojans are put into the files that user like to download online. In most cases, the program you have downloaded has a genuine purpose and tend to work normally. However, during the download, additional malicious files have been tucked away and has become active when it is one the computer. Trojans could be used in different ways like creating back doors around the security processes, sending spam emails, and even deleting data.

Phishing

Phishing is a scam where emails or websites pretend like they are a legitimate source like your bank. They will use false links that would fool you into giving out important financial or personal details like your bank account, which the hackers will exploit. Usually they appear within the emails that come with suspicious links or content.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now if you need the help an IT company that can provide you with a range of solutions to mitigate risk and make sure that your data is secure and safe.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
http://manageditserviceswilmington.com

Cities Served:
Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro

Cybersecurity Threats To Watch Out For In 2020

Are You At Risk?

Various evolving and new cybersecurity threats has put the information security sector on high alert. Cyberattacks including malware, phishing, ransomware, and cryptocurrency have put the assets and data of governments, corporations, as well as individuals at risk all the time.

The sector continues to face a shortage of IT experts and industry professionals warn that the stakes have grown higher than ever. Moreover, cybercrime is shaking the faith of the public in many of their cherished ideals like personal privacy, democracy, as well capitalism.

Top Threats To Cybersecurity

More Sophisticated Phishing Campaigns

Phishing attacks are becoming much more sophisticated. Hackers are doing what they can to up the ante especially now that employees of companies are becoming more aware of the dangers of this kind of attack.

Ransomware Strategies Evolve

Victims of ransomware attacks face billions of dollars worth of losses every year while hackers use technologies that allow them to kidnap someone or the databases of an organization while holding all of the details for ransom. The increase of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin is credited with assisting in fueling ransomware attacks by letting anonymous payments be made to answer ransom demands.

Cyprtojacking

The movement of cryptocurrency have various effect on cybersecurity. In cryptojacking, cybercriminals hijack third party work or home computers so they could mine them for cryptocurrency. Since cryptocurrency mining needs immense power for computer processing, cybercriminals can make a lot of cash by piggybacking secretly on the system of someone else. Cryptojacked systems for businesses can lead to major performance problems and expensive downtime as IT experts do what they can to monitor and fix the issue.

Cyber-physical Attacks

Technology has allowed consumers to computerize and modernize important infrastructure however, it also poses risks. The continuous threat of hacking that target electrical grids, water treatment facilities, as well as transportation systems shows vulnerability moving forward.

State-sponsored attacks

Aside from hackers who want to make a quick profit through stealing corporate and individual data, states are also using their cyber skills to get access to and even attack other state’s infrastructure. Today’s cybercrime has become a major threat for individuals, the private sector, as well as the government, and the entire nation in general. This year, state sponsored cyberattacks will increase and the most prevalent ones are those that are directed toward critical infrastructure.

IoT Attacks

The Internetof Things have started to become more common as the day goes by. IoT includes tablets and laptops, webcams, routers, smart watches, household appliances, automobiles, manufacturing equipment, home security systems, and medical devices.

These devices are handy for many consumers and companies as it could save them cash by gathering a lot of insightful data and making business processes more streamlined. 

However, an increased number in connected device also means much greater risks, which makes IoT Networks more vulnerable to cyber invasions as well as infections. IoT devices, when controlled by cybercriminals, can be utilized to wreak havoc, lock down important equipment, and even overload networks.

Shortage of Cybersecurity Professionals

The number of cybercrimes have increased over the past few years while governments and companies have had a hard time hiring enough qualified ITexperts to help curb the threat. The trend is expected to continue this year and beyond. Estimates revealed that about one million positions in the IT sector will remain unfilled across the world.

Call SpartanTec,Inc. if you need the help of IT experts in making sure that your business is secured and protected against the common online threats this year.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
https://spartantec-wilmingtonnc.business.site/

Cities Served:
Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro

Why Now Is The Best Time To Prioritize Cybersecurity?

Small businesses is responsible for 44% of the nation’s GDP. Given that, it’s important for small businesses to improve their defenses to make sure that they are protected not only from cyber risks but also from internal and external factors. This is crucial since cybersecurity threats has continued to rise.

Small businesses have consumer and transactional data, which are both exposed to more risks thanks to the new and improved technologies and digital capabilities in the office. Data breaches has made small businesses look like unreliable partners and consumers are forced to find a different provider to work with.

All businesses, whether they’re big or small, are at risk. Breaches happen because these small businesses commit the mistake of assuming that it will not happen to them, they forget about basic preventative measures, and they do everything by themselves, and not investing in a dependablesecurity system.

Common Mistakes Committed By Small Businesses

Wire transfer problems – small businesses always fall victim to fraudulent wire transfers over the years. You can avoid this by checking all payments carefully before sending them. The payee details should also be verified including the account information and the location. One single number that’s incorrect means it’s going to a different receiver.

Ignoring Admin Account Access

Small businesses have a tendency to give access to essential information and services to too many employees through admin accounts. These accounts can easily be hacked and they are the favorite target of many hackers. You can lower your risk by giving access only to a few people.

Smart Phone Vulnerability

Your employees may agree with you or not but it remains a fact that work tablets or phones remain as high risks targets. Making purchase or doing businesses while using public WiFi could place a business or person they work for at risk. These malware threats also hide behind third-party sites since cybercriminals find it easy to convince people into downloading spoof applications.

Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks have risen by almost 350% over the past few years. These attacks commonly appear as mobile notifications or emails, denying access to the computer of the employee. In case you receive an unusual email, don’t open it.

When trying to address these issues, it is important for small businesses to make significant investments in cybersecurity training and set up an in depth cyber policy that can be accessed by all of your employees. By being proactive and prepared, you can prevent these cybersecurity threats well before they happen, protecting small businesses from a possible loss of income, client data, and network security as well as privacy lawsuits.

A cyberattack could negatively affect the reputation and bottom line of a company, and diminish customer trust. The best defense is having good defense, and businesses must be aggressive in looking for IT services that strengthen their security.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you need help in boosting your cybersecurity.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28412
(910) 218-9255
https://spartantec-wilmingtonnc.business.site/

Cities Served:
Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro