One of the types of incidents that can seriously cripple a business is a data breach. For smaller companies, it can mean a hit they never recover from. Sixty percent of small businesses end up closing their doors for good after a data breach, according to an Experian study.
Many business owners are caught off guard because they thought they had a plan in place. But it was put in years ago and they never updated it to reflect the newest cyberthreats.
Experian further found that security plans are rarely updated as often as they should be. When asked how often they update their cybersecurity strategy, the answers from businesses were:
- Not since it was put into place:35%
- No set time period: 36%
- Once per year: 25%
- Twice per year: 5%
- Quarterly: 4%
Zero-day attacks happen all the time, which requires regularly reviewing and updating the safeguards you have in place to ensure they still have your business covered.
An example of how new attacks are a continuous threat is one that impacted many small businesses as well as larger companies this year. A recent string of attacks that came out of the blue in early 2021 for over 250,000 organizations was caused by four zero-day exploits that breached on-premises Microsoft Exchange Servers around the world.
The average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million.
A good and regularly evolving IT security strategy means taking a layered approach that reaches all facets of your technology infrastructure, including devices, data, network, and cloud.
Here are several important tips for ensuring your business is protected against data breaches.
Scan For Vulnerabilities at Least Annually
Hackers continue to evolve their attack types and go after the least protected areas of a company’s cybersecurity infrastructure. One of the most recent examples involves attacks on firmware, which have risen five times over the last four years.
To keep up with the “bad guys” it’s vital that you have your technology infrastructure regularly (at least once a year) scanned for any new vulnerabilities. Leverage IT does this through deep threat vulnerability scanning that identifies any weak spots in a company’s IT safeguards that hackers could exploit.
Antivirus and Ransomware Software
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to businesses and one that keeps getting more costly each year. As attackers gain success getting their ransoms paid, they raise the ransom demand and are encouraged to attack more companies.
Spyware, viruses, worms, and other malware can also be devastating and cause a major data compromise, which results in lost business, extensive downtime, and data privacy compliance penalties.
All devices used at your company must have strong and reliable antivirus and ransomware software.
Endpoint Device Management
Mobile devices now handle a majority of the business tasks in an organization. Remote teams have also complicated network security. Companies often have their business data being accessed by devices in multiple locations and on Wi-Fi connections with unknown security measures.
It’s important to keep tabs on all your endpoints with endpoint device monitoring. This type of system allows you to:
- Apply consistent security policies across all endpoints
- Keep endpoints updated and patched remotely
- Grant or revoke device access to business data
- Monitor endpoint device threats
- Remotely lock or wipe a device that’s lost or stolen
- Secure the “business side” of an employee’s smartphone being used for business
Continuous Threat Monitoring With Automated Responses
Hackers never sleep, and neither should your cybersecurity defenses. It’s important to use a managed threat protection plan with a firewall that includes 24/7 monitoring of your network, along with automated configured responses that can quarantine any suspicious threats.
Having automated threat response and removal keeps you one step ahead of the attackers and ensures your network is being protected all hours of the day and night.
Ongoing Security Awareness Training
Your employees are a vital part of your cybersecurity strategy. Most data breaches originate with a phishing email that fools a person into visiting a malicious website or opening a malware-filled file attachment.
Security awareness training doesn’t have to be stale and boring. Today’s awareness training includes engaging videos, phishing simulations, and regular IT security updates that keep employees in the know about new types of phishing attacks.
DNS Filtering (Inbound & Outbound)
URLs are being used in a majority of phishing attacks these days because they can slip by common antivirus programs. Additionally, users tend to trust links more than file attachments.
85% of phishing emails contain links to malicious websites.
It’s important to use inbound and outbound DNS filtering to ensure that dangerous links are blocked, even after an employee may make an accidental click. Most systems only include inbound DNS filtering, but our system includes both to ensure companies are fully protected.
Schedule Your Deep Threat Vulnerability Scanning Today!
Leverage IT Group can help your DFW area business take the first step to a strong data breach protection plan by performing a deep threat vulnerability scanning to identify any areas of weakness.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call (469) 458-0559 or reach us online.