7 Tips for Avoiding Network Cyber Attacks: How to Avoid a Company-Crushing Data Breach

Avoid a Company-Crushing Breach

Keep your company infrastructure safe by slamming the back door on dangerous hackers. Here’s what efficient IT Incident Response Planning can do for you.

Are you leaving the backdoor to your infrastructure wide open without realizing it? If so, you could be inviting hackers to take down your entire system, causing your tech department headaches for days. It’s an unfortunate truth that 50 percent of all cyber attacks in 2019 targeted small businesses. But, there’s good news, too. With a bit of preventive IT incident response planning, you can prevent this very scenario. Here’s what you need to know.

Train Your Employees Well

Employees who know how to practice cyber-attack prevention are less likely to accidentally contribute to the problem. Hold regular training sessions to explain the importance of preventive measures, including:

• Logging out when done.
• Taking care when downloading executable files.
• Keeping passwords secure.
• Avoiding accessing social media sites on company computers.

Use Strong Filters

Make sure your email system uses strong filters to weed out dangerous spam messages. This helps prevent employees from accidentally clicking on harmful malware. Set up filters for your web browser, and blacklist problem sites such as those categorized as social media. In 2019 alone, social media sites generated over $3 billion for the cyber-crime community. Blacklisted sites aren’t accessible to users on your network.

Protect Wireless Access Points

If you want to offer free WiFi access to customers and guests, that’s fine. It must be kept separate from the network that runs your business, however. Your business network should be secured with an administrative password that you change regularly, and encryption should be in place at all times.

Put Firewalls in Place

Firewalls help keep viruses from gaining access to your infrastructure. Your IT Incident Response Planning Team should install and maintain strong firewalls on company computers and mobile devices. And if employees work remotely using company hardware, those should likewise be protected.

Stay on Top of Updates

Regularly updating your software can help patch backdoor access and fix issues before they become problems. As trusted updates and patches become available, they should be installed immediately. The newest version is the safest version, even though it may have the occasional glitch.

Limit Access to Your Network

It’s important to limit who uses your network. Give employees access to only those applications needed, and have a system for canceling passwords and computer access whenever an employee leaves the company.

Take Care When Donating Equipment

Before donating or scrapping old computers, wipe the hard drives. Destroy discs and USB drives that carry sensitive information, or format them before they leave the office. Use a shredder or an incinerator to destroy sensitive paperwork.

A little prevention can have a big impact on how susceptible your infrastructure is to a cyber attack. Having a responsive consulting service such as SemTech in place and actively working to prevent problems is key. We’ll help you keep the back door locked at all times, and we’ll be sure you know who’s coming in through the front and standing by the windows, listening. Call SemTech IT Solutions today.