Beef Up Your Cybersecurity, No Second Thoughts Please!

More and more companies today are getting targeted by hackers. Thus, in the current scenario, it becomes really important that companies make themselves secure. Every organization today needs to ensure that every single individual in the organization is aware of what all needs to be done to ensure proper security. The management and every single worker in any organization ought to be doing everything that’s needed to ensure maximum cybersecurity. There should be no second thoughts about ensuring cybersecurity, just go on and do it!

HackerCombat discusses, in the present context, the basic things that organizations, especially the key players in all organizations, need to emphasize to their employees, in order to make cybersecurity a reality. Here we go:

Passwords- They’re very important!
Passwords have a very important role to play when it comes to cybersecurity, be it for companies or for individuals. Every individual in an organization should be made aware of the importance of passwords and password management. The passwords- all of them- should be strong; they should all be changed regularly. Today, companies have realized the importance of two-factor authentication as well; they are encouraging two-factor authentication, for additional security. Yes, it’s definitely good to opt for two-factor authentication, for enhanced security.

Stay vigilant about phishing scams
Every employee in an organization needs to be reminded to stay vigilant about phishing scams. It’s through phishing scams that most hackers manage to plant malware on organizational network. It could be one wrong click by an employee that could result in a malware getting in and wreaking havoc on the whole network. The hackers can get away with loads of data- corporate data as well as sensitive personal data of the customers. Every single individual in a company needs to be taught not to click on any link or attachment in an email unless they are confident it’s from a trusted source and is safe. There should be a standard operating procedure that would want every email address to be verified before an attachment is downloaded or a link clicked upon. New employees should also be made aware of such procedures and must be educated on who all are regular contacts and who not. Thus they could spot suspicious emails as and when they come.

Lock systems and devices
All employees in an organization should lock their systems or any mobile device which they use for work (personal as well as company-provided ones) with passwords or codes. They should also develop a habit of locking their systems while moving away.

Check for updates, download them
The IT department employees in an organization should always check for security updates and other software updates. Whenever the updates are available, they should download them. It’s these updates that keep systems, devices and networks secure. So it’s important for a dedicated IT staffer or a manager to ensure that all updates are downloaded on time.

Have a strategy and the personnel required, use security software
Survey reports indicate that only 50 percent of small businesses today have a clear cybersecurity strategy. It’s important for any business, small or big, to have a well-planned, clear cybersecurity strategy. The whole organizational network, all devices connected to it, all application used etc have to be secured. There must be a plan for that, a definite strategy that’s perfectly implemented. A company should also have the personnel who can take care of the security aspect; if there’s no dedicated employee, a consultant’s services can be hired. Similarly, an organization today must spend on getting all those security software that’s required to secure its assets and business.