Yesterday, we talked about some of the known attacks an internet user will mostly encounter when using the internet, opening our eyes to the different methods the attackers implore to carry out their malicious activities.
One thing I realized is that, in these problems lie the solution as well. Are you wondering how? Read this short story…
Few months ago, I was going through my mail, when I stumbled on this particular mail that had a picture attached to it. The content of the mail was so fascinating that I really wanted to see what was in there in the image and just as you are thinking already, I clicked on the image but it was taking longer time to display. I kept trying and trying but it wouldn’t just open, I felt so heartbroken but I needed to continue my work so I left it and went back to what I was doing. But guess what, after some hours a lot of mails started popping up and on opening them I saw that somebody else has gained access to my files, an intruder, a HACKER.
I don’t have to finish up my short story because you already know what happened next, but I’ll be sharing here with you what I did after wards to ensure I never had such an experience again.
Here are some of the steps you can take to have an intruder-free cyber experience.
Back up your data: backing up your business data should be a major duty to every business owner. It is very essential that you back up your most important data using multiple back up method to ensure that your files are properly secured in case you experience a cyber attack.
You could back up your data with an external drive, portable device or through a cloud storage solution.
Ensure you do this regularly and always go back to check and test that you can restore your data from your back up.
Install security software: Security software that include anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-spam filters are strongly recommended for business computers and devices to prevent malware attack.
Create a firewall: Have you ever heard of firewall? This piece of software acts as a middleman between your device and the internet. It monitors and filters all incoming and outgoing network traffic and so it easily detects attacks across the network.
Encrypt all important information: Encryption helps to convert all your data into a secret code before it sends to the internet. With this process, you can be sure to be free from hackers.
Use passphrases instead of passwords: the major difference between a password and a passphrase is that passphrases are generally longer than passwords. I would advise you to use passphrase as it guarantees added security to your data and can be difficult for the machine to crack. Also remember that you should use a unique passphrase for your different business accounts.
Lastly for this article, educate your staff on the importance of cyber security and on how to maintain good passphrases. You could also consider cyber insurance as they can help your business with the cost of recovering if you ever fall victim of an attack.
