7 Must-have Cybersecurity Layers for Small Businesses

There could be many things more threatening than just email hacking for small businesses. The worst could be someone having unauthorized access to your credit card ordering limitless pizzas, making racist comments from your account, or even making bomb threat calls. There are many lives that have become very unfortunate and have suffered the damages of a cybercrime.

It has been proven that there are different cybersecurity layers in existence and if these are hacked, businesses could go bankrupt. Hence, small business managers must know about these layers to protect their firm’s cyber ecosystem from threats.

1. Online Social Protection

The most protective layer is to guard your business against such cyber attacks. As we all share everything about ourselves online, hackers find it easy to know the basic details about a person online. They can utilize this information online and can use it to manipulate the workers of companies like banks to reveal their personal and confidential information. You may consider these reveals as the employee’s fault, but it is the company’s for not practicing the right security protocols.

It is great to make specific security methods that can be examined and tested often with your staff members. Regulate a verification process for phone calls and do not reveal passwords or any other confidential data.

2. Physical Security

Even if you are completely ready for any kind of attack, expert hackers know their way around with their ‘tricks’ to infiltrate even this level of security. It is quite common in many businesses where their owners pay almost no attention to the exposed and insecure computers or fail to decimate the old drives.

These little security lapses are not a problem with the security experts when it comes to other employees but instead is the company’s basic security measures. It is recommended that you should use cloud backups, get old hardware destroyed by professionals, utilize theft recovery tools like the Prey project, encrypt your drives, and embed any hardware ports revealed to the public.

3. Wireless Protection

Your company’s wireless Internet is also a major threat to the company. It is often misunderstood that Wi-Fi transmission can reach farther than our office walls and a hacker with the advanced tool can enter the network easily. Once they get inside your network, the files that are shared without any security or accounts having simple passwords can be easily infiltrated by the hacker accessing him to the critical information.

Small businesses should utilize WPA2 and not WEP or WPA. Also, your Wi-Fi needs to have a strong password just like your other passwords. Never choose a weak password and assume that it can’t be guessed easily.

4. Passwords

Passwords are like undergarments. They should be changed frequently, kept personal, and must not be exposed to anyone. Some of the ideal passwords contain long combinations of upper and lower case letters, symbols, and numbers and are unique across different accounts.

It is recommended to use phrases that are easier for you to remember. If it gets very complicated for you to keep a track of such passwords, use a service like LastPass or 1Password for safe and secure passwords.  

5. Two-factor Authentication

Good hackers can nevertheless, penetrate your security even if you have good password strength. This is why businesses must consider the two-factor authentication (2FA) system. World-class companies like Apple, Google, and Dropbox provide the 2FA coupled with an email account and a phone number. In addition, you can also use Google Authenticator apps to integrate it with other systems and apps.

Companies must not back out from updating security measures more often to stay a step ahead of the hackers always as safer ways should be created, like facial recognition, fingerprint, and also ultrasonic sounds.

6. Anti-virus Tools

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The majority of anti-virus tools helps a lot in retaining email accounts and many other confidential data safe. However, the best software cannot claim 100% security. Spiteful viruses are spreading rigorously and it is quite tough for anti-virus firms to declare all of them as ‘Blacklisted’.

This is why ‘Whitelist’ like PC Matic must be considered by many businesses. Whitelist security allows only those programs and software that are approved earlier to be used that adds layers of security to protect your system.

Keep in mind that your company has just as much risk of getting hacked as it is with the other businesses it is just about when. Perfectly protect your hardware, cloud, and software accounts. Make clear and descriptive information and a technology protection policy.

Make sure to steer clear of online chat sessions and do not mess or chat with any young hackers or any person with a questionable profile name that can digitally turn your life upside down.

7. Email Security

It is always suggested to at least secure your email accounts. This is because once hackers gain access to the email accounts, they can gain access to any other account as well considering how it is your email through which you can reset the lost passwords. It is also suggested never to click on shady links in email or any type of attachments. It is because several phishing attacks may look quite real at the beginning. Instead, by opening a new window on your browser, open a website, and type the website address.

Better to use Gmail and its apps as it has better protection for phishing, spam, and virus.

Synopsis

Above-listed is some of the most popular and effective cybersecurity layers that you must implement. It will not only keep your business, employees, and infrastructure secure but it will also help you thrive and sustain in this fiercely competitive global ecosystem.

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