Protecting your organization from threats to its digital operations is crucial no matter what work you do. Identifying malicious activity or vulnerabilities before they reach a critical stage using techniques such as a security risk assessment is vital in staying safe in the modern world. Here are some tips for ensuring that your security remains ahead of any danger you might face.
1. Educate Yourself
The first step to preparing yourself for the various threats your organization might face in its online operations is to identify those threats. Cyber threats come in various forms, and hackers constantly develop new methods of attack. Following tech news and getting professional advice will help you stay informed about the latest threats.
Some common forms of attack include DDoS attacks or MITM attacks.
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks occur when several malware-infected machines overwhelm an organization's network by overloading a point of access that legitimate users might be trying to utilize.
Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks involve maliciously intercepting poorly encrypted messages to spy on communications within your organization. These are only two of the many forms of attack your organization may face.
2. Learn to Identify Phishing Emails
One way malicious actors gain access to an organization's accounts and systems is through a phishing attack. A phishing attack is when somebody uses falsified emails to fool the recipient into providing their login credentials or other information. These attacks come in various forms: somebody posing as an internal contact within your organization or an email from a popular service that directs to a fake version of that service's login page.
Informing yourself and your team on identifying this ever-present danger is critical to your organization's security. Tell team members to only open emails from trusted senders and that real contacts within your organization would never ask for their user ID or password. Other common signs of a phishing attempt include spelling errors or improper grammar in the body of the email itself.
3. Keep Your Software & Hardware Up to Date
Using old, end-of-life technology can leave your organization's cyberinfrastructure vulnerable to attacks that exploit any known security issues in the old hardware or software. Newer devices tend to come with enhanced security tools and capabilities that give you a cutting-edge line of protection against any threats you might face within the digital sphere.
Along with keeping the devices your team uses current, ensuring that any software running on those devices is updated with the latest patches is just as crucial. Ensure that your team members know not to delay installing device updates. These software updates often include critical security updates that help prevent hackers from looking to exploit vulnerabilities in the software's code.
4. Protect Yourself with the Right Tools
As with any aspect of your business, having the best tools and technology for your cybersecurity needs can make all the difference. Proper research and getting the right professional advice are crucial here, as not all security software will offer you the protection you need. Organizations have different security needs, so they need other protection features.
Proper authentication and encryption for your communications are essential for equipping your organization with a successful security strategy. This will ensure any sensitive information transmitted doesn't end up in the wrong hands. You should also ensure that any cloud-based servers your organization uses for data storage use effective security protocols.
5. Control Permissions & Privileges In your Systems
If administrative privileges or other high-level capabilities aren't restricted properly, potential issues can arise with your security. While giving administrative rights to users can expedite specific actions without the presence of an administrator, this practice poses a risk to your security. If this user with administrative privileges is compromised, the effects could be much more widespread than they would be otherwise.
It's also essential to ensure your team knows that only they should be using their credentials. Sharing credentials to gain additional access or privileges isn't an acceptable way of getting work done. This raises the risk of compromised credentials, leading to vulnerabilities and malicious activity in your network.
6. Train Efficiently & Consistently
For an organization to be secure against cyber threats, the team must be informed of the best security practices. Even one person not following proper security protocol when using your organization's devices or network can compromise security. That's why it's crucial that every staff member with digital access gets thorough training and fully applies themselves to that training.
Cybersecurity training shouldn't be a one-time event for your team. Everybody must be updated on the latest security practices and informed on new threats that might have developed since their previous training. A refresher course is always beneficial to keeping security skills sharp. Make sure that any new team members are given the same comprehensive training so that you maintain a consistent level of safety.
7. Take a Security Risk Assessment
Identifying potential vulnerabilities before an issue arises can save you unnecessary frustration and expenses later on. That's why testing your organization's cybersecurity with a security risk assessment is valuable. By spotting ways that employees might compromise your security before any malicious actor can spot those same issues, you'll be able to act proactively to strengthen your defenses and keep your organization running smoothly.
Ascend Can Help
You can significantly bolster your defenses by taking proactive steps like the ones we laid out in this article. However, navigating these complexities alone can be daunting.
At Ascend, we specialize in guiding organizations like yours through the intricacies of cybersecurity. Whether you need assistance implementing multi-factor authentication, conducting thorough cybersecurity training, or performing a comprehensive security risk assessment, our expert team is here to help. We can fortify your defenses and safeguard your organization against cyber threats.
Contact us today to discuss how we can support your cybersecurity journey.
