TLDR: Ultimately, the reality is that the best way to protect your business against cybercrime is to invest in cyber security. At Cross Link Consulting, we’re committed to keeping our CSRA community and local businesses safe. Our vigililant monitoring of scams, trends, and security breaches enrues we keep you well-informed and protected. Join us in the fight to safeguard our community.

Cybercrime is on the rise, and attacks happen when you least expect them. As technology advances along with our use of it, so does the way criminals exploit the vulnerabilities in our security for their gain. Keeping a step ahead of today’s cybersecurity threats and responding appropriately is crucial, for both organizations and individuals. Un-targeted cyber-attacks like phishing and ransomware have seen rampant growth in the last few years. An annual SpyCloud survey found an alarming increase in the number of organizations impacted by ransomware from 72.5% of organizations in 2021.

Security is not just the responsibility of your IT team; everyone in your business has a role to play. Are you and your team prepared?  Prevention and Incident Response are key. An easy way to evaluate your Incident Response Plan is to test it- yet a Ponemon Survey determined that 47% of organizations have not assessed the effectiveness of their Incident Response Plans, meaning that the first test will be at the worst possible time- during an attack. Hackers constantly test your defenses and reactions- you must do the same.

Boost Your Company’s Defenses: 3 Essential Security Tactics

Locking Down Your Digital Fortress

Brand new devices default factory settings and installations aren’t always secure, and they often come without multi-factor enabled. This can provide hackers with easy opportunities to access your information. By setting up your new devices the right way, you can minimize vulnerabilities.

Guardians of the Digital Gates

Every device that accesses your network should be protected by a firewall. All connected devices run network services, which communicate with other devices and online services. By restricting access to certain services, you reduce your exposure to attacks. Firewalls can restrict network traffic and protect against attacks by blocking traffic according to a defined set of rules.

Fortify Your Digital Identity

User Accounts are now required for multiple device access and internet-based services and provide access to sensitive business information. By ensuring only individuals’ accounts have access to the information needed to perform their role, you reduce the risk of information being stolen or damaged. All user accounts should use multi-factor authentication and have strong, unique passwords. If it’s easy to guess, it’ll be easy to break into. If you reuse your password on multiple sites and a cyber criminal finds one weak point, that’ll be their first guess for your sign-ins elsewhere.

To learn more about Cyberattacks and how to prevent them, check out these great articles by VentureBeat, Open Access Government, and Harvard Business Review.