It’s important for your business to be vigilant against cyber security attacks—and that’s easier said than done. The reality is, cyber attacks can come any time. They can come from anyone. They can come from anywhere. Some are obvious, but many are not—and it’s those less-obvious ones that can be most dangerous.
The biggest threats to your company’s cyber security may not be what you think, then—so it’s important to have a high level of cyber security awareness, ensuring that you’re keeping any and all of these threats at bay. In this post, we’ll offer some general tips for developing a truly robust cyber security policy.
Think Beyond What You Know of Threats
You may already have some cyber security awareness—for example, you may already know about some of the more overt instances of cybercrime. These include zero-days and high-end exploit kits, which can certainly do grave damage. With that said, it’s important to expand your understanding of cybercrime to encompass things like cyberbullying, doxxing, trolling, and other activities that can corrode your reputation. These are not typically regarded as “cybercrimes” per se, yet they can do real, bottom-line damage to your business.
The underlying point here: Having an overly narrow definition of cybercrime leaves your company vulnerable.
Social Media Can Invite Threats
It’s difficult to overstate the dangers of social media, which can invite a number of threats into your business. (Indeed, social media cyber attacks are increasingly commonplace.)
For example, did you know that online criminals can use unsecured private information to gain access to bank accounts or other confidential platforms? When your employees routinely post about their family or their pets, it provides hackers with information they can use to unlock their accounts (by answering security questions). Meanwhile, vacation photos can provide hackers with all the anecdotal information they need to email your corporate office and try to get remote access to corporate networks and accounts—all under your name.
There are other risks, as well—such as the risk of accepting a social media “friend request” from a convincing imitation account, and thus allowing an online criminal access to information that should remain closer to the vest.
The list goes on and on—and again, the basic point is simply that cybercrime happens on many levels and in many different ways. Often, it gets a foothold in your company through the naivete of your employees, who may not have the understanding they need of proper cyber security awareness.
Think Like a Hacker—and Anticipate Them
This may all sound overwhelming; you may wonder how your business can possibly safeguard itself against all possible instances of cybercrime. The good news is that you really don’t have to. What’s more prudent is to think about the types of cybercrime against which your business is most vulnerable. Ask the question: How would a digital assailant most likely target my team?
The answer will vary from one company to the next. For example, media companies often worry about pre-release data being hijacked, released early, or held for ransom. A law firm or a financial institution will be concerned for the security of their sensitive client records and documentation. The larger your company, the wider the spectrum of concerns is likely to be.
A good overall cyber security program is recommended, of course, but make sure you work closely with your cyber security vendor to ensure specific protections against those company-specific attacks.
Identify Who Your Attacker is—And Why
Another important step: Identify who is most likely to pose a threat to your company and why. Does your company attract the wrong kind of attention? Does it pose a real threat? And though this is unpleasant to even consider, could you have serious threats coming from internal sources?
There’s no way to know for sure who potential hackers could be; again, it could be anyone. But you can make some educated guesses about who the most likely threats are and adapt your company’s cyber security measures in kind.
Get Cyber Security Services from Salient Networks
Proper cyber security preparations require you to account for the sheer range of potential threats—and then, to consider the threats most likely to accost your business. This is a big job, and it’s something you may wish to do with guidance from trained professionals. If that’s the case, Salient Networks is here for you.
Our experts can ensure that you are spending your cyber security resources as efficiently as possible; we’ll help you identify potential attackers and design a plan that keeps your business safe.
Salient Networks is a leading name in cyber security training development, network security, and more. To learn more about cyber security training or any of our other IT services, reach out to the team at Salient Networks today.