DETROIT – Are you looking for ways to protect your online business from cyber-attacks? Cybercrime has increased recently due to more companies shifting to remote work following the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of these businesses have not adequately invested in cyber security – making them vulnerable to thousands of hackers worldwide.

Securing your online business from cybercriminals involves many things, such as password management and backing up sensitive data. Read on to learn more ways to prevent hackers from attacking or threatening your online business.

1. Regularly Conduct Cybersecurity Training for Your Staff

Your employees may be your strongest line of defense in the fight against cyber threats and attacks. Training them on your cybersecurity policies will reduce the chances of hackers gaining access to your system.

For example, telling your staff to avoid opening emails from outside your organization helps to prevent phishing attacks. Many hackers masquerade as trusted entities, duping ignorant employees into opening an email or clicking a link that has a virus.

Create cybersecurity policies that guide your staff on what to do during a cyber attack or to prevent one. For example, alerting an administrator when they receive a suspicious email or detect unusual activity on their laptops.

2. Use Multiple-Factor Authentication

Multiple-factor authentication is another popular way of reducing cybercrimes. It involves making a user provide at least two proofs of identity before accessing an account. One of these proofs of identity may be sent to a separate device in the form of a code that expires in a short period.

Gmail uses two-factor authentication. When accessing your account on a new device, you may be required to provide a code sent to your smartphone. Without this code, you’ll not log into the account even if you know the password.

There are many other types of multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as eye scans, fingerprints, and facial recognition. MFAs add an extra layer of security to already existing passwords.

3. Use Password Managers

Password management is a vital part of cybersecurity because almost every online account uses a password.

To make your accounts unhackable, use pass phrases instead of passwords. Pass phrases are sentence-like strings of words usually longer than the traditional password — they have at least 14 characters. These pass phrases combine lower and upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters like the dollar sign and the ampersand.

Pass phrases should also be unique and unpredictable. Hackers can easily guess your password if you use dictionary words or the names of your family and friends, pets, and institutions you’ve attended.

A password manager would be handy because it’s difficult to remember passwords for different accounts. You’ll only need to master the password that gives you access to the password manager.

4. Back up Your Sensitive Data

Backing up data is one of the most effective ways to protect your online business from cybercrime. It reduces damage in the event of a successful cyber attack by taking action before the attempt is made.

Back up your data in a secure, off-site location where only authorized users can access it. This way, when hackers steal your data, you can quickly restore it with the original version that you stored.

Some ways to back up data include cloud storage, external hard drives, and USB. Cloud storage is quickly becoming the preferred option by online businesses because of its security and convenience.

5. Keep Your Software Up-To-Date

Regularly updating your software keeps hackers at bay. Cybercriminals are actively improving their tactics to be able to override existing security set up by software developers. So these developers also continually update their systems to stay ahead of the bad guys.

Set your software to update to new versions automatically. This way, your web browsers will be stronger, and cybercriminals will have difficulty penetrating your system.

6. Install Anti-Virus And Firewall Software

Anti-virus software is an essential part of cybersecurity for your online business. It detects and prevents viruses from entering your system and compromising your data. Firewalls also help in preventing cyber attacks. They screen out viruses and cyber criminals from accessing your device from the internet. Ensure your employees install a firewall in their home network when accessing your system from home.

7. Use VPNs To Hide Your Online Activity

Virtual Private Network improves your cybersecurity by hiding your online activity. It involves connecting your device to the VPN server, then accessing the internet through the VPN. So it becomes difficult for cybercriminals to monitor your online activity. In the process, you can share sensitive information within your organization without worrying about unauthorized access.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a vital aspect of your online business. Your company will thrive by adequately investing in cybersecurity practices because cybercriminals will be locked out of your system. Some of these cybersecurity essentials for your online business include using pass phrases and password managers. You can also install anti-virus software and back up sensitive data regularly.

This article provided by Hannah Madison