Let’s dive into a topic that might give you the chills – cybersecurity skeletons in the closet. You may not have old skeletons hidden away in the basement, but there’s a good chance of cybersecurity weaknesses lurking in the shadows.
You can’t fix what you can’t see. It’s time to shine a light on these hidden dangers so you can take action to protect your business from potential cyber threats.
These are some of the most common cybersecurity issues faced by SMEs today and the easiest ways to deal with them.
The cobweb-covered nightmare – Outdated software.
When software vendors release updates, they often include crucial security patches which are there to fix vulnerabilities cybercriminals can exploit. Keeping everything up to date can help keep your business secure.
The cybercriminal’s skeleton key – Weak passwords
60% of people in the UK use a password that can be easily guessed, and 30% of passwords are less than 8 characters. It’s important to make sure you’re using a secure password for all devices and accounts. Try to use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Also, make sure your users have strong password guidelines to follow.
Haunting Ignorance – Lack of employee training
Your users can be your strongest line of defence or your weakest link. Employee error causes roughly 88% of all data breaches. Without proper cybersecurity training your users may unknowingly fall victim to phishing scams and inadvertently expose sensitive information. Regularly update your teams about cybersecurity best practices including:
- Recognising phishing emails
- Avoiding suspicious websites
- Using secure file-sharing methods
- Using a secure password
Rio’s training and monitoring from uSecure can help keep your users one step ahead.
The Cryptic Catastrophe – No data backups
Imagine waking up to find your business data gone, completely inaccessible and lost in the digital void. This nightmare can become a reality without backups in place. Data loss can be caused by hardware failure, flooding, fires, cyberattacks or a whole manner of other situations. Rio can help you put regular backups in place and test them regularly.
The Ghoulish Gamble – No multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Using only a password is no longer enough to keep accounts secure. Adding MFA provides an additional layer of protection that requires users to provide an extra form of authentication such as a one-time code. This makes it much harder for attackers to breach your account, even with the password.
The Horror Unleashed – No Incident Response Plan
Even with all the precautions in place security incidents can still happen. Without an incident response plan an attack can leave your business scrambling. Develop a comprehensive plan that covers key items such as how your team will detect, respond to and recover from security incidents. Regularly test and update the plan to ensure it’s effectiveness.
Do any of these cybersecurity ghouls sound familiar?
The team at Rio can help you find and fix potential weaknesses and create a robust cybersecurity position that will protect your business. Contact us today to find out more.