5 Steps to Protect Your Business From Hacking 2022

What is hacking? 

In the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity, hacking techniques, constructs and threat actors are definitions that are constantly molding to encompass new developments. However, in its simplest form, hacking is simply defined as “the gaining of unauthorized access to data in a system or computer”. 

How can hacking affect a business? 

With more and more businesses taking their services online in an attempt to stay relevant, connected and up to date with their customer’s needs, hacking is a very real and ongoing threat. Any service or business with an online presence is at risk of cyber threats, and the threats themselves can vary and can be incredibly destructive. They can pose a financial threat (denying customers service) as well as affecting an organization’s reputation and integrity (data leaks). 

Hackers can gain access to assets in many different ways, Trojan horse programs and phishing just to name a few. Once access is granted to a malicious third party, they can orchestrate a vast array of attacks which can affect a business, sometimes remaining completely undetected via constructs such as botnets.  

Here are 5 simple ways any business can protect against hackers: 

1. Picking Passwords  

One of the easiest ways to get hacked is via vulnerabilities when logging into a service or platform.  

Passwords should be sufficiently complex, using a strong mix of upper case, lower case and numbers. They should not be words that can be guessed by someone entering it manually nor words that can be run through a common weak password program which tests things like “pass123”.  

Passwords should also remain confidential amongst all employees and if a business uses a password no employees should use the same one for any personal logins. 

Finally, passwords should be routinely updated and changed to prevent leaks. 

2. Two-step Authentication 

Similar to having a strong password which is routinely updated, all logins that access sensitive information, especially in the context of a businesses’ online presence, should have a two-factor authentication enabled.  

This is the second layer of protection after a password, requesting a code to be verified via a second form – such as a mobile phone number or email.  

This setting can be enabled to only prompt a user when logging in from an unrecognized device, causing no hassle for frequent users but alerting you if someone is attempting to login from somewhere else. 

3. Staying up to date 

Choosing the right anti-virus software network firewall and ISP is key to providing a business with protection against hackers.  

The older the system the services are operating on, the more time the hackers have had to discover its vulnerabilities. Commonly, hackers will actually be deterred from even trying to attack the latest software as there are plenty of targets operating on old systems, so making sure you are not one of them is sometimes all you need. 

4. Backing up / Encrypting Data 

Any company which stores sensitive data online, from files regarding their customers to financial records that should remain private, are at risk of a ransomware attack or a data leak. 

Ensuring this data is encrypted prevents direct access to the sensitive data if access to the system is granted to a hacker, and backing the data up gives a third party no leverage when dealing with a potential ransomware situation. 

5. Know the Threat 

Often, the source of a data leak or security vulnerability comes from human error or negligence.  

Whilst a CEO or IT employee may cause no concern and be vigilant, if any single employee does not follow certain procedures online due to their lack of experience in the field, this can be a weak point. 

All employees should be educated on the risks and know not to download anything or click any suspicious links on company devices or from company accounts 

How you can keep your business safe with Securiwiser? 

Securiwiser can help your business stay safe in the cyber world via its daily monitoring of cyber threats, including those raised in this article. Start your free trial today by clicking here.