Tag Archives: Ransomeware

5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Need Cyber Security

Security, , , , ,
IT professional using a laptop to program cybersecurity measures with a small business owner.

Protecting your business and customers with cybersecurity practices.

Did you know that over 58% of small business owners do not consider cyber attacks a threat? On the contrary, many small business owners tend to think that they are immune to these attacks. They believe that nobody is interested in their data- this creates an avenue for cybercriminals to explore.

Coming from a year where almost every aspect of life moved digital, cases of cyber attacks continue to rise. Now, more than ever, even small businesses need cyber security. Here is why:

1. Small Businesses are Easy to Attack

Large, established companies know that they are always vulnerable to cyber-attacks, so they annually spend millions on cybersecurity. With dedicated and talented staff, they can easily identify and neutralize threats as soon as possible.

On the other hand, small businesses do not have to put these tough measures in place- most companies do not protect themselves at all. As a result, cybercriminals can easily breach their security and do away with important data.

It is easier for criminals to have a successful attack on a small business than a giant. Taking the necessary precautionary measures prevents you from these attacks that can cause massive losses.

2. Inadequate Policies in Place

Most small businesses do not have data security policies. In case of an attack, these businesses are always underprepared- they take a lot of time to react.

Having good policies in place makes the job tougher for cybercriminals and gives your staff adequate time to respond to the attacks and make amends.

3. Cases of Ransomware are on the Rise

Not long ago, WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware were used to attack middle-sized companies, holding their critical information hostage. For those who paid the ransom, they had their data back. For those who didn’t, they didn’t recover.

As a small business, you do not need to pay ransom to anybody- invest in cybersecurity.

4. It is Hard to Recover from Cyber Attacks

If huge businesses can feel the impact of cyber attacks, imagine what they do to small businesses. With your information gone, it is very hard to collect yourself and start again.

5. Clients Do Not Appreciate Data Breach

Even for small businesses, clients want to know that their data is safe with you. Having good cybersecurity policies will improve your business in many ways.

What to Do to Improve the Cybersecurity of Your Small Business

Cybercriminals invent new ways to attack every day. However, ensuring the following components of cybersecurity are in place will keep you going. They can help you repel, note, or anticipate an attack.

  • Regular security assessment
  • Secure your emails from spam
  • Apply security policies on your network. Manage passwords well
  • Embrace multi-factor authentication
  • Update your computers regularly
  • Use advanced endpoint detection and response
  • Encrypt every possible aspect of your business
  • Back up your data to the cloud
  • Have web gateway security
  • Use data engines for event and security logs
  • Tighten your mobile device security
  • The firewall should be on at all times
  • Dark web research- knowing all the passwords and accounts on the dark web in real-time
  • Train your employees on the benefits of security awareness.

Quit gambling with your business and allow us to keep you safe. No cybersecurity fits all companies- you must have the services customized to suit your needs.

Need a Cyber Security Expert? Consider SystemsNet

At SystemsNet, we have the expertise and experience to do that. Our security options include multi-factor, Perch, SentinelOne, Webroot DNS,  profile protection and many other services. We can analyze the nature of your business and come up with an affordable plan that will protect you from cybersecurity threats.

Contact us today to choose your package. Please go through our blogs for more information and updates.

 

5 Security Measures that Neutralize Common Hacker Attacks

Security, , , , ,
Computer showing a popup warning that its system is being compromised by hackers.

Going without a Cyber Security plan is no longer an option in today’s business world.

In the war between business tech and hacker invasions, we often imagine hackers with a criminal sneer. They use technical ability and corrupted software to take advantage of the digitally vulnerable. The lonely elderly, small businesses, families in crisis, and hospitals are favorite targets in the hacker community. It’s a matter of personal and professional satisfaction to close any door such that hackers simply cannot get through – or prevent hackers from gaining benefit even from successful invasions. As cybersecurity technology gets more advanced, we are now specializing not only in making our walls too thick to crack but also thwarting hackers who try bottom-feeding and loophole-exploiting methods.

Today, the cybersecurity industry has perfected several tools that not only stop hacking attempts, but actively thwart and frustrate the hackers who attempt to steal your data. We’re here to share five easy methods that any small to enterprise business could implement that will neutralize the attempts of most common hacker attacks.

1) Unreadable Data Loot: End-to-End Encryption

Getting hacked eventually has come to be a business fact of life. Between an army of copy-pasted malware spammers and the few actual hacker-brains in the horde, eventually, something will skim your database or compromise one of your many cloud services. The only question is what your hackers find when they open the loot-bag after raiding your data.

Encryption is our best defense against the inevitable database swipe or website skim. Encryption ensures that hackers might have your data – but they have it so deeply encoded that your data is useless. Not a single username or business plan is stolen if your data is properly encrypted at every step in the creation, transit, and secure storage process.

2) Un-Phishable Email: Advanced Email Spam Filters

Email and social media phishing have become the leading method for hackers to slip their malware or scams into company systems. Phishing has become the top type of “hacking”, now called “social hacking” because it’s a scam with a dash of malware or espionage on the side.

Well, just like the spam-mail of old, phishing emails have become so common that we have learned how to recognize them. More importantly, our AIs can recognize them. Modern email filtering features include ways to detect then flag or filter any email that follows a known phishing message pattern. This keeps your entire workforce safe when installed into the company email server.

3) The Fool-Me-Twice: Blacklist and Report Every Attack

Let’s say you do get hacked – make sure your monitoring software is in place. The fool-me-twice maneuver ensures that you are never successfully targeted by the same methods or hacker domain twice.

Network monitoring services and malware tracking can reveal a lot of useful data that can protect you (and the whole community) in the future. If you get a source domain name, catch a malware ReadMe file, or track suspicious IP addresses – blacklist whatever you find. Then submit your collected evidence of the hack to your security regulatory board and federal authorities. The more known bad-actors are blacklisted, the fewer large-server hacks can be conducted against businesses and individuals.

4) UnRansomable: Backup and Disaster Recovery Plans

The threat of ransomware that cripples hospitals and businesses is the file encryption. Encryption used as a weapon can suddenly make your entire system’s data unavailable. But what if you have a complete and recent backup of the system? Would you really need to preserve the current malware-infected files? The answer we smugly give is “no”. A great backup and recovery system – with a smooth re-installation of everything you backed up – can ensure that even the worst system-wide ransomware can’t take your company down for more than a few hours.

If your system and all vital data is already backed up, you simply cannot be held for ransom. You can factory-reset on that malware and have your system running again without paying a single bit-coin or decrypting your files.

5) Un-Hackable Team: Cybersecurity Drills

Last but certainly not least, you can also empower your entire team with a fun security-building exercise. Cybersecurity drills are conducted by your IT team to help employees (and execs) across all departments learn how to protect themselves from phishing and common malware attacks. Start with training, teaching everyone how to spot, stop, and report any suspected hacking attempt. Then release occasional faux-phishing emails and other suspicious tactics to keep everyone on their toes.

Congratulate employees with sharp eyes and uplift the team when a drill is detected and reported correctly. Once your team associates reporting a phishing email with Friday cupcakes, hackers won’t stand a chance.

Looking to optimize your company tech solutions and cybersecurity? Contact us for more great insights and to consult on your business security needs.