Are you doing these for your business's security?

No matter what you are doing for your organisation's cybersecurity, it is never enough and you are always exposed to some amount of risk. However, there are some basic cybersecurity practices that are highlighted time and again, yet they are not followed to a T. Make sure you follow these rules to a T to protect your business against cyber attacks.

Password security:

Did you know that 63% of data breaches occur on account of weak or compromised passwords? Make sure your employees follow strict password policies. John@123 is as dangerous as it is convenient. A strong password must be at least 8-10 characters long and contain both uppercase and lowercase letter, symbols and numerals. Moreover, it is strongly recommended that employees don't use the same password for more than one service. Despite being emphasised, people tend to stick with one password, PIN in most of their apps.

Phishing awareness:

Phishing is one of the most dreaded and widespread diseases plaguing the cyber world. Every individual receives multiple phishing communication every day. Most of the malware is spread via this simple technique because it is highly successful all over the world. Employers must make sure that their employees are familiar and adept with spotting and dealing with phishing emails, SMSs and calls. There is no coming back once the lethal phish hook stings you. A harmless-looking mail can cost you your entire business. To tackle this threat, employers can send mock phishing emails to employees in order to know the level of awareness and response their staff has about this threat.

Software updates:

Most of the time, a simple mistake of not updating a software soon enough has cost the victim a fortune. Especially in ransomware attacks, the use of outdated and unpatched software has been found as the main culprit. As an employer, it is your responsibility to maintain a standard protocol for the use of software and applications, which are basically the tools that handle your data and carry out your operations. As soon as vulnerability patches and bug fixes are rolled out by the software developers, install them without delay. Get rid of software that is at their 'end of life' support. As soon as a bug is discovered in any software, information about it is released on the internet (even if it's not disclosed completely, hackers can use reverse engineering to find the bug). Thus, it is highly advisable that you install the software update as soon as possible.

Penetration testing:

Regular penetration tests are a useful component of holistic cybersecurity. You never know when a hacker finds enough motivation to hack your organisation and give you a run for its money. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Hiring professionals with Certified Ethical Hacker certification to carry out penetration tests on your organisation should be a vital part of your cybersecurity strategy. This will determine your security standing and posture and tell you exactly where you are and where you need to go. Insider threats, i.e. threats from employees is something not to be taken lightly. You can customise your penetration tests according to different types of knowledge capacities possessed by a potential hacker.

Incident response plan:

Planning is key when it comes to the security of any kind. Having an attitude of 'let's cross the bridge when it comes' is considered highly unethical behaviour towards your responsibility for security and can prove detrimental to your entire organisation. Preparing for contingencies, having an incident response plan is a must for every organisation that has a lot at stake in terms of data and money. Take help from a forensic expert like someone with CHFI course training or someone with Incident Handling and Response training to strategize what you will do and not to in case of a cyber attack. Organisations that have suffered a cyber attack will vouch for this necessity as every single second is crucial in such a crisis.