Cybersecurity Practices that Work

The modern organization runs on an increasingly complex IT infrastructure. But though your organization may feel that your infrastructure is as safe as it can be, it’s likely that there’s room for improvement. With every passing day, cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated – and cyber-attacks increase in both scale and activity.  That is why you need cybersecurity practices that work for you.

Let’s take a look at why you should improve your cybersecurity today – rather than thinking about it after you’ve already had an incident.

CYBER-ATTACKS ARE INCREASING WITH REMOTE WORKING

More people are working remotely today than ever before. During the COVID pandemic, many employees started working remotely out of necessity. Now, at least some of these workers are going to remain out of the office for good.

Remote working increases a company’s attack surface and leaves it vulnerable. Not only are companies responsible for far more endpoints (such as personal tablets, PCs, laptops, and smartphones), but these personal devices are often left unsecured.

Employees may discuss company information through personal email accounts without two-factor authentication or may leave phones, tablets, and other devices unlocked.

Further, malicious phishing emails have become more prolific, as malicious attackers are well aware that people are spending more time online. With employees out of the office, employees may be less likely to identify phishing emails as well; they may be more willing to believe an IT company that they’ve never heard of because they aren’t up to date with what’s going on in the office.

IT professionals agree that many bad security habits are picked up from working at home. A user isn’t going to lock their home computer, for instance-but what about when they take their laptop out to the cafe?

UNMANAGED WORDPRESS SITES ARE VULNERABLE TO CYBER ATTACKS

Managing a WordPress site and keeping plugins up to date is the only way to protect your site.  Hackers will steal information and disrupt the efficiency of the plugin and your site if left vulnerable.

What would you do if your data were locked away today?

Cyber Attacks occur through outdated plugins. Plugins are constantly updated to not only improve their features but also to improve security as well.

File Manager is a popular WordPress plugin that hackers found a hole in the code.

This gave these hackers unauthorized access to the admin area of using WordPress sites.  An update was released within hours of File Manager discovering this issue. However, 20% of its users still have not updated this plugin and are still vulnerable.

Cybercriminals have hacked government organizations, mega-corporations, and even entire towns. What these attacks have in common is that they weren’t up to date and consistently managing their pages.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO Improve YOUR CYBERSECURITY practices

Most cyber-attacks are successful because of insufficient security, equipment, and settings. Companies need to utilize cybersecurity practices that work. To improve security, companies should have:

• A VPN-capable firewall – An organization’s firewall is its first line of defense – Today, there are AI-driven firewalls that are exceptionally apt at detecting malicious behaviors. All communications can be encrypted through a firewall, even if they are being directed to an individual’s home.

• A password vault – Password vaults are secured programs that store passwords for users. These utilities autofill and generate complex, secure passwords when creating accounts. The program itself is password encrypted. Users only need to remember a single password. This prevents users from using easy-to-guess passwords. A password vault will also alert an individual if their password has been compromised.

• Auto-updates – Many cyber attacks occur because systems haven’t been properly updated. Vendors constantly update their programs when a new security threat is discovered. But the discovery of a new security vulnerability usually spurns many malicious attackers to try to use that vulnerability. These are called zero-day attacks and the only way to defend against them is to ensure that your system is constantly updated.

• Keep backups – routinely backup your system data and store your backups in a separate, encrypted network. Ransomware attacks are almost entirely ineffective as long as you have your backups to restore. They cannot “take” your data if you have a copy of your data elsewhere.

CYBER ATTACKS AREN’T GOING AWAY

In fact, they are only going to become more advanced and more prolific with time. The only way that you can protect your organization from harm is by improving your cybersecurity proactively.

Most organizations are going to experience a cyberattack at one point or another.

But companies that lose their data or have their data compromised often don’t last the next few years. The costs of a data security breach are tremendous. Not only could a company lose millions while its data and infrastructure are down, but it can also suffer a vast loss of faith from its client base. Proper cybersecurity practices will go a long way in prevention.

The time to improve your cybersecurity is now. Contact us here to discuss managing and updating your WordPress site.