It’s time to stop waiting for a cyber breach and to start embracing the easy wins
Posted 5th July 2021
No one wants to experience a cyber breach in much the same way that no one wants to arrive at their business to find it’s been broken into. Having a cybercriminal hack into your system and riffle through your important documents is always going to be an unpleasant and potentially expensive experience. Yet, in the same way that a business may fit a burglar alarm or locks on windows after a break-in, many companies only really consider cybersecurity after being the victims of a breach. But if they actually embraced several reasonably ‘easy wins’, they would be less likely to suffer a breach in the first place.
An effective cybersecurity strategy requires many different layers, all designed to protect your IT system and the information contained within it. It’s more than just clicking ‘on’ on some anti-virus and a firewall. And, while some levels of cybersecurity can be potentially expensive or difficult to implement, there are some which are easy, affordable, and can save your business from the costs and fines from reactively dealing with a data breach. Implementing these layers now is the equivalent of ensuring that the windows are locked every evening.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
You may have already experienced multi-factor authentication if you shop online, as many banks and payment platforms have started implementing it. Basically, it relies on the concept that there are a number of ways of authenticating who you are. So, you have a password, but you will also have a device such as your phone which can also be used. For example, when you log in with a password, you might then receive a text message with a code to input.
This form of authentication means that even if a password has been compromised and stolen by cybercriminals, it would still be difficult for them to access your IT system. It also reduces the risk of accidental access to sensitive documents and information.
Multi-factor authentication is available to any business using Microsoft Office 365 and just requires users to have another app such as Microsoft or Google Authenticator installed on a phone or device.
Enabling encryption
Using encryption on devices and emails is another easy win for keeping your data safe. An encrypted document requires you to have a key to unlock it. For anyone without the key, it just looks like a jumble of letters. With team members increasingly using laptops and portable devices, having them encrypted means that it will be challenging for someone to access your data if the device is lost.
Good password hygiene and using a password tool
We’re going to say it again, 80% of cybercrimes are based around stolen passwords and poor password hygiene. So, it stands to reason that focussing on improving password management will make your company more protected against a cyberattack.
This means regularly changing passwords, not using the same passwords, and not using obvious words such as partner/child/pet names, first roads (basically anything that a silly survey on social media would ask you).
It’s also an excellent idea to use a password management tool, which stores all your passwords locally and encrypts them for extra protection. In many cases, it will also utilise facial or fingerprint recognition for access.
By implementing these small but mighty changes, you can add three extra layers to your cybersecurity measures, making it far harder for any cybercriminals to break into your system. LP Networks can implement all of these measures for you and are happy to guide you through the process. For more information, get in touch.