Dec, 2018 : 5 Most Common Cyber Security Mistakes Enterprises Make

📅 December 17, 2018 - 1. Who is going to attack our business? We’re not Apple or Google.

This is attitude problem more than anything else. As I made it clear before, smaller businesses tend to get targeted more by cyber perpetrators. Do you know why? That’s because of this we’re-not-Google-attitude. Because of this attitude, many SMBs don’t take cybersecurity seriously, and that’s exactly what hackers want. Such dubious stance results in weak security practices and that ultimately results in…you can guess the rest.

2. Not training the staff

It’s no secret that employees are your most significant cybersecurity risk. A wrong click at the wrong place could make you fall prey to a phishing scam. We’re not telling you to enroll every employee for a cybersecurity course (it’d be great if you could do that), but we’re telling you to get them aware of the basics through proper training by an expert. We also suggest making security policies and guidelines that include the use of security practices such as antivirus, strong passwords, using secure protocols, encryption software and two-factor authentication. Such policies create ‘security-first’ environment—something that’s needed to thwart cyber attackers.

3. Not updating on time

Let’s get this clear, updates come with a purpose, and that purpose is improvement. Newer versions comprise of patches, security updates that protect you against security vulnerabilities of past releases. No matter what it is, your antivirus, your OS, browser, protocols, server updates…your IT department must make sure that updates are installed on time every time.

4. Not investing in cybersecurity

Unfortunately, many companies still don’t see cybersecurity as something worth investing in. Whether it’s people, security software, software devices, monitoring systems; this is the time when you cannot afford to take security lightly. See a security consultant, let him/her do a security testing, and s/he will tell you what’s needed.

5. “The IT guy will take care of it.”

You hired an IT person. Read it again; you hired an “IT” person. But it’s never a good idea to expect an IT person to take care of everything. This has to do with skills as well as priority. S/he might not have a vast knowledge of security. And even if s/he possesses, s/he must have a plethora of other responsibilities. Maintaining the security requires a lot of attention, and your IT person might not be able to give it. That’s why hiring a security specialist on permanent or consultation basis is essential.