Our simple tips to help protect your business!
Cyber attacks have become commonplace! Cyber security is the means by which individuals and organisations reduce the risk of becoming victims of cyber-attacks. Cyber security's core function is to protect the devices we all use and the vast amounts of information stored on these devices and online.
According to the UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2021, the most common form of attack is Phishing, with a whopping 83% of the 1419 business surveyed, reporting Phishing attempts in 2021.
'Phishing' is when criminals use scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims. The aim is often to make you visit a website, which may download a virus onto your computer, or steal bank details or other personal information.
An impersonation attack is a type of fraud where an attacker poses as a trusted person to steal money or sensitive information from a company. These scams pose a significant danger to companies of all sizes. In 2021, 27% of businesses surveyed, reported experiencing an Impersonation attack.
Rather than using malicious URLs or attachments, an impersonation attack uses social engineering and personalization to trick an employee into unwittingly transferring money to a fraudulent account or sharing sensitive data with cyber criminals.
The report also showed us that 9% of businesses experienced viruses, spyware, or malware attacks & 7% experienced ransomware attacks.
The above statistics outline the importance of cyber security for your business. There are some very simple steps you can implement to help protect your business, for example using a password generator or at the very least using a 3 random words password to protect your accounts, especially your email and making sure 2FA is activated - 2FA is an extra layer of security used to make sure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are.
Antivirus software is a must. It is designed to detect and remove viruses and other types of malicious software or ‘malware’ – malware is inadvertently downloaded by opening attachments from unknown email or visiting dodgy websites. Once your computer is infected, the malware can steal your data or encrypt your systems, so you cant access them.
There are hundreds of different antivirus vendors to choose from, most of which offer several subscription options. Which ever one you choose, make sure you keep it up to date!
Backing up your data is also imperative, when backing up your data, think about what you need to run your business. Regular backups, ideally daily, that are stored separately from your computer or network, and can be accessed easily and quickly will not only protect you from flood, fire and theft, but will also stop blackmail requests from ransomware attacks.
Ensuring that all software and firmware is up to date across all your IT equipment is possibly the most important processes you can undertake to improve security. Setting all equipment like phones and tablets to ‘Auto Update’ would be a smart move. Once the updates become unavailable, due to the age of the equipment, it is wise to consider replacing or upgrading.
UKBITS Ltd is a well established IT Support company based in Ashby de la Zouch, we are a team of IT Professionals who will ensure the security and smooth running of your IT infrastructure. We can advise on a number of computer security options for your business and manage them on your behalf. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us.