The dangers of online activity are ever present when you consider the immense amount of malicious online activity; there are no shortages of brute force attacks, viruses, malware transmission, intrusions, social engineering, and software exploits.
To examine how to keep business security in a tight lock-down you must first examine your employees, users, and those coming through to your website and systems. Internet security starts from within, on a fundamental level. The following insights will provide you with actionable info regarding data security, protecting the privacy of your community, and avoiding potentially disastrous consequences when malicious attacks take place.
Start with the People
Starting with people is about educating those within your business in relation to cyber security.
There are many different ways malicious individuals and groups may gain access to your sensitive information; methods for intrusion have become very sophisticated, which is why there has been a rise in the threat activity, especially since the increased adoption and implementation of online tools.
These current threats may include:
· Vulnerabilities within systems, website data, and personal files through exploitable code
· Social engineering exploits such as posing as an authoritative figure to access information
· Malicious code and bait-and-switch tactics installed within applications
· Botnets and their use of DDOS attacks
To keep prying eyes out of your systems and data you must start with this core by keeping every individual within your business up-to-date with the current security risks – keep a watchful eye on news and resources published by leading cyber security companies and journalists.
Likewise, access to sensitive data should be based on security clearance, which can be set by network administrators – don’t give access to an individual who doesn’t need it; restrict their access to files, websites, and resources which may be compromised.
Finally, be aware of physical attacks that may be the result of an irate employee stealing sensitive data or other attempts to physically disrupt the business operation.
Secure the Operation
Nearly every business will have, in some form or another, important, private information that is accessible through the web and this will continue to be the case the more we place our reliance on online commerce, communication, and cloud computing.
One of the most dangerous items that a business operating online may face is targeted network attacks. These attacks aren’t widespread, but rather focus on a particular individual, access point, or organization. We have seen this very recently in cyber-attacks by The United States, China, Russia, and most recently, Syria.
The reason these types of attacks are so dangerous is that the individual (or organization) conducting the attack may acquire access to a much larger set of data.
For example, if the CEO of a medium to large corporation were to have low-difficulty passwords for their emails the attacker could gain valuable information about the current operations and could use the account to falsify data and impersonate the authority figure.
Besides starting with core education, the best way to protect against these types of intrusions and exploits is through software and services provided by well-trusted Internet security providers. At this level, the business will have access to security via monitoring, up-to-date detection methods, custom updates, and sandbox testing, which will provide optimal security for the company using the services.
All businesses operating with some form of online presence will greatly benefit from securing their information from within the company resources, especially medium to large corporations which require constant communications between their divisions and software/hardware.
To conclude, Internet security is now just as important as physical security on location.
The ingenuity and prowess of those with malicious intent are becoming increasingly elaborate and destructive. It’s through continual education of those within the business, and security options operating out of the software and hardware, that will curb these destructive attacks.