As much as we might like to believe that they could never happen to us, unfortunately, cyber attacks are very real and are an ever present threat. Regardless of the size of your business or the type of industry you’re in, you must be vigilant about protecting sensitive data.
However, many businesses who aren’t very tech savvy may not recognize the signs of vulnerability. Recognizing your vulnerability early on is crucial so that you take the right proactive steps before it’s too late. Here are some of the most telltale signs that your business is vulnerable to a cyber attack.
You’re Using Outdated Software
Updating your software regularly is critical in order to stay up with the latest security updates. Hackers are constantly innovating and finding new ways to find our vulnerabilities, so This is why you need to make sure you’re using sufficient security measures.
Make sure that you’re constantly updating your security software and ensuring you have systems in place like firewalls and intrusion detection. That way you know that you’re protected in case of an attack.
Remember, your clients are trusting you with their sensitive data. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, you would be not only letting your clients down, but potentially putting them in danger.
You Have Weak Passwords
One of the easiest ways that hackers can enter your system is by guessing your easy passwords. A weak password is one that is easily guessable, and is used across various accounts. Make sure that in addition to choosing a strong password, that your passwords are different across all of your different sign-ins.
If a hacker manages to guess your password, then they have access to absolutely everything. Whereas if they manage to compromise one of your passwords they’ll only have access to one account. You should also make sure that you implement multi factor authentication to make your password security even more robust
You Have No Plan in Place
Preparing for attacks is the best way to ensure you know how to respond to them. You must have a well defined response plan in place, otherwise, in the event of a security breach you could find yourself scrambling. Make sure that you have a specific protocol in place that includes how you plan on containing the breach, and what types of recovery procedures you plan on. Usually this is done by hiring an IT team to go over an incident response plan with you.
While you can’t always protect yourself against cyber attacks, you can significantly reduce your chances of one happening to you. By having a solid plan in place and identifying the holes in your security, you can keep your business safe.