With each passing day of 2022, we hear about a cyber attack or a data breach that has happened and affected a significant business and many people. As the digital transition of businesses advances, they get more exposed to different cyber threats. And for many business owners, that means dealing with something they have never experienced before. We always say that prevention and preparation are the best courses of action, but sometimes people realize how vital cybersecurity is when they have already been hacked. In this article, we are going to address the issue of how to prevent another cyber attack.
Make cybersecurity a strategic priority
It is essential to allocate finance and resources and make cybersecurity a top priority for your company. Hopefully, once you have been hacked, you now understand how severe and urgent is the need to take action. The first step in doing so is to be prepared to make cybersecurity a priority for everyone in the organisation – from yourself to all regular members of staff. Creating a culture of cybersecurity awareness among all employees is a crucial aspect of dealing with the problem.
Build the cybersecurity posture of your organisation
Creating your cybersecurity defenses is not something you can do on your own. It can be a challenge for corporations to have an internal cybersecurity team. We recommend finding and hiring an external expert company in the field that has a good reputation and can deliver the services you need. Once this is done, you will start discussing your cybersecurity strategy. Several good practices should be done:
- Hiring a vCISO.
That is vital in making cybersecurity like any other business process in daily operations. The virtual chief information security officer can manage everything from determining the risks for your business to helping with achieving specific compliance standards;
You need to provide your employees with the skillset to detect cyber threats. A lot of cyber attacks are due to human error. From weak passwords to phishing emails – those are risks that can be avoided if people working for you have the needed knowledge and awareness;
It can help you detect your organization’s network system, IT applications, and infrastructure security vulnerabilities. Vulnerability assessment is done by performing security scans manually or with the help of automated tools for testing.
It is a step after vulnerability assessment. This measure will help you understand potential vectors of cyber attacks that hackers might use to infiltrate your systems.
Most importantly, you should realize that once you start, you should maintain your efforts. Cybersecurity is not a one-time thing that you do and never repeat. And it is a constant and ongoing process.
Create a strong cybersecurity culture within your company
That probably won’t happen overnight but is very important. Every person you employ should be aware they have a role to play in maintaining the excellent cybersecurity of the company. Of course, there are some things you can do to help the process, which go beyond hiring a vCISO and training your staff.
Explain to everyone how important is their commitment. Communication will make employees feel essential and commit easier to their responsibility regarding cybersecurity. Their roles might be minor, but they are vital. Increasing cyber awareness should be the first thing you start. And as a business owner or a manager, you have to lead by example. In that way, the others will follow.
If you need help in improving your cybersecurity – give us a call. We are a trusted partner for many businesses in various industries, and we would love to help you as well.