General Cyber Security – Basics of Cyber security

In the last article we looked at the types of attacks. In this article we are going to look into the best practises you can follow to make your business as secure as possible.

Basics of Cyber security

Good data backup

It is crucial that you have a solid backup plan in place because cyber-attacks are more frequent than ever. By doing so, you can ensure that your IT systems and data are protected in the case of an attack. This is crucial because without them, your company will cease to function and ultimately fail.

The backup rule of 3-2-1 is what we advise. That is easy; you must always have three copies of your data, two of which must be on different storage media, and one of which must be kept offsite for disaster recovery. You may unwind and feel at ease knowing that there will always be a way to continue working when you have three copies of your data spread out in three distinct locations.

Data backup is by far one of the best tools to help you achieve risk management, which is the core concept of cyber security. You must make it possible for your team to continue working after an attack or disaster has occurred, as a cyber attack isn’t regarded as a sufficient reason to halt operations in their tracks. Customers aren’t the most understanding people, as you are probably aware; regardless of whether you have had a cyberattack, they will still want you to meet their expectations.

Secure passwords

We use good, secure passwords every day in the current world, therefore they should be a must. We have all heard the advice that using repeated numbers, symbols, or sequences is improper, and that using 12345 or ABCD is insufficient. Excellent passwords are fully random, hard to remember, and have no connection to you at all—just hard enough that you won’t forget them yourself.

To guarantee that they are operating as safely as possible, teach your employees to adhere to these guidelines when creating passwords. They can successfully combat the online crooks by adhering to these regulations.

• Use multi-factor authentication when it’s available.

• Keep this in mind when you enter the password; if it’s too simple to remember, try again. Go outside the box a bit and be mysterious. Avoid readily remembered consecutive passwords and repeated digits (such as 1234, 6789).

• Whenever possible, use a combination of letters and digits to make your password longer than 10 characters; the rule of thumb for passwords is that the longer, the better.

• Use random upper- and lower-case letters when creating your passwords. For instance, instead of starting with a capital letter at the beginning like everyone else, you can consider doing it towards the conclusion or even at random intervals throughout. The more obscure, like we mentioned, the better.

• Change your password on a regular basis; sometimes accounts are compromised without the account holder’s knowledge.

Considering that passwords constitute the first line of defence against cyberattacks, they are possibly the most crucial of all. Yet, users frequently don’t view passwords in this way; instead, they view them as a hassle, and we can’t blame them for that. A long, complex password can be tedious to type each time you log on or off, so some people make their passwords simple to remember and enter. Do not do this. More than anything else, data security must be a priority. It is important to treat the inconvenience as such. The security of your system comes first at all times, therefore always select lengthy, difficult-to-remember passwords.

Manage permissions

Controlling permissions is crucial—in fact, it’s vital—because if a hacker successfully gains access to your system because of inadequate or lax access rights, this could lead to data loss or theft. As an alternative, your security settings may occasionally be purposefully changed discreetly, opening the door for later, more well-planned attacks.

Anti-malware measures

All of your laptops and PCs, whether they are at home or at the office, need anti-malware software. The majority of operating systems have a free version. While it’s great that the vendor is giving you something for free to protect your systems, these free defences are frequently ineffective against the sophisticated attacks that cybercriminals can now launch. As a result, you should replace them right away with more advanced models.

Data encryption

This one can be very perplexing because the whole point of all these cyber security measures is to prevent your data from being encrypted by a cybercriminal, but you have to encrypt it first. Confused? If you weren’t, it would surprise me. Encrypting your own data doesn’t sound like the correct thing to do, but encrypting your own data is fundamentally different than a third party doing it without your permission. Data encryption works by encrypting your files’ and documents’ readable text so that only people you choose and authorise access to can read it. Encrypt your data as soon as possible to prevent cybercriminals from accessing it.

We hope that by highlighting the significance of cyber security in the current technological era, this essay has been helpful. We hope that by educating you on the most common attack vectors employed by cybercriminals as well as some effective countermeasures, your online environment will be safer and you and your team will be able to move forward with confidence knowing that your systems are ready for a cyberattack that could potentially be fatal to your business.

Modern Technology to Safeguard your Success

Your business depends on technology, and we want you to recognise the benefits it can bring when used in tandem with the most modern tools available. We offer the IT help you require when you require it at 4TC because we appreciate simplicity and transparency. This support includes a promise that your technology is safe from all kinds of online dangers, that it will help you run your business more efficiently, and that it will always be upgraded to the most recent version. We will assist you and direct you towards a safe and prosperous future where technology will be your buddy. Call us right away to learn how we can assist you.