01 Sep 5 Tips to Avoid Cyber Attacks
What are some tips for you to avoid cyber-attacks?
- Use two-factor authentication
- Regularly update antivirus software
- Don’t put off OS updates
- Implement access control
- Backup important data
Cyber threats can come in many forms nowadays. As such, constant innovations in hardware and software have been developed to counter these cybersecurity threats. There are many tips to avoid cyber-attacks that you can implement so that you can smoothly navigate the digital world with relative ease. From a range of simple techniques such as updating your computer’s operating system to undertaking a comprehensive backup plan, these are some of the practices that you should know. Continue reading to learn more.
Use two-factor authentication
Whether you’re the manager of a small enterprise or a large organization, ensuring that all of your employees’ personal information and data are protected should be a priority. One way you can achieve this is through the use of two-factor authentication instead of the traditional one-way authentication.
What two-factor authentication does, is that it adds another layer of security to you and your employees’ personal accounts. Instead of the singular username and password access, the 2FA requires them to input another piece of information that they have previously set up while creating the account. This is where they’ll encounter common security questions, a biometric pattern or fingerprint, or even a short PIN. Utilizing this type of cybersecurity scheme is already able to create a more robust authentication system for your credentials.
Regularly update antivirus software
Many of the most popular antivirus software in the market already come with automated notices or recommended schedules on subjecting them for updates. Though you may have a tendency to schedule these updates at a later date, you shouldn’t lose this habit. Malicious cyberattacks are ever-present and can compromise your data any day — it’s better to arm yourself against this by maximizing your antivirus software.
Antivirus software updates contain patches and files that are necessary to mitigate threats. This may range from an improved malware detection method, a more meticulous antivirus scanner, or a reliable internet protection system. Updating your software only takes a few minutes of your time, but the effects can last for as many years.
Don’t put off OS updates
Anyone who owns a laptop or a computer isn’t new to operating system updates. If they’re working on an important Microsoft office project, for example, putting off these OS updates seems to be the only choice at hand. Despite being a common occurrence in the digital age, it’s never a good idea to delay these updates and have them installed later.
Software updates can provide your computer with a range of benefits that the system manufacturer can only offer. Aside from improving the stability and performance of your OS, these updates can also provide remediation to security loopholes that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to spot. In the event that your antivirus subscription expires, you’re leaving your system momentarily exposed. But a simple OS update can already give your system this temporary protection that it needs.
Implement access control
Physical security is just as important as cybersecurity. For your business, you expect that every single one of your employees has the best interest of the organization at heart — but it’s still better to be safe and protected. In conjunction with all the other cybersecurity practices mentioned above, you should also consider implementing physical access control.
Access control simply refers to a method of limiting the access of a particular set of resources or objects to only those who possess the necessary credentials. For example, if you have an in-house data storage center in your organization, a lock and key may not be enough to protect them. Anyone can just as easily learn how to pick a simple lock. With this in mind, you need to implement physical security like a biometrics device, surveillance systems, or rack-mounted servers. All of these features are necessary for preventing someone from potentially entering the space and performing a data breach — all unbeknownst to you.
Backup important data
It cannot be stressed enough, but you must constantly have backups of your data in place. In the past, cloud storage systems have been used as a way of backing up hard copies of documents, but as you may already gather, cloud storage systems are also prone to cybersecurity threats.
Backing up all the data for your organization can be challenging, but it all begins with drafting up a backup strategy. This strategy provides you with a course of action in the event that a company-wide security breach occurs. This lists people who will be on the front line of handling the situation and the IT security areas of the organization that needs to be prioritized.
In your backup strategy, having solutions for remote backup and on-site backup is advisable. Categorize both your physical and intangible assets by order of their importance — these will be given priority during the backup process. It would help if you also calculated whether it might be useful for your organization to perform a full or an incremental backup — the latter is more targeted and significantly faster to execute than the former.
Key Takeaway
You may have already familiarized yourself with some of the most common tips to avoid cyber-attacks in the past, but it simply goes just beyond changing a simple password. Ultimately, the best protection against malicious intent from scheming cybersecurity criminals is to arm yourself comprehensively. This means using the tips above in combination with one another to produce the maximum protection.
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