Protect Your Business With Simple Cybersecurity Training

Get employees up to speed on data safety.

According to a recent study by Keeper Security and the Ponemon Institute, 63% of small-to-medium-sized businesses have experienced data breaches within the past year. On top of that, nearly half of those businesses had no cybersecurity defense plan in place at all. It seems many business owners hope they don’t get targeted or that the overall threat goes away on its own.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. When it comes to cyberattacks and SMBs, it’s not so much a question of if there will be a data breach attempt or other attacks, but when.

Fortunately, as a business, you already have your first and possibly best line of defense already in place — your employees. All you need to do is get everyone trained up on basic cybersecurity practices, and you’ll have built an effective cybersecurity system that will be far less likely to fall prey to cybercriminals.

Once some proper training has been put in place, you can avoid the risk of downtime, stolen data, and the severe penalties associated with regulatory noncompliance.

Here are some primary areas to address.

Best password practices

Step one is looking at passwords — essentially handling the keys to all the locks. You wouldn’t leave keys out in the open or give them to people to have no reason to trust, would you?

It’s no different from device or network passwords. When talking with employees about best password practices, address strategies such as:

• Robust password creation
• Regular changing of passwords
• Non-repeating password creation
• Not sharing passwords, even with colleagues
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Cybersecurity professionals strongly encourage passwords that include a mix of numbers and upper and lowercase letters. Special characters will add whole new levels of sophistication to a password. Never use easily-guessed dates such as birthdays or anniversaries, nor should a password be any word one could find in a dictionary (of any language).

Changing passwords every few months helps keep a possibly compromised password from being exploited by outside hackers or former employees who may have an ax to grind. Never share passwords, and resist the temptation to write them down — even if you think you’re storing it in a “safe space.”

If your business deals with sensitive data or follows the kind regulatory compliance as you’d see in the financial or healthcare industries, then multi-factor authentication is an absolute must. Two-step authentication becomes a formidable barrier to those attempting unauthorized access to business networks or employee emails. Many programs and system logins offer options for two-step authorization that require additional step(s) to begin using, such as responding to a security question or entering an authentication code sent to the user’s phone via SMS.

Insist upon safe computing practices

Sensible passwords are a significant first step to maintaining a secure network but can be rendered meaningless if your employees are careless in their email and internet use.

Train employees on recognizing suspicious and potentially harmful emails, attachments, and links. Around 50% of all cyberattacks businesses have to contend with come in phishing attacks where an email disguises itself as a trusted entity and tries to convince the recipient to click on a link or download an attachment. This often results in malicious malware installing itself onto the computer or mobile device, which could then spread to the network.

Malware opens your security to further infiltration. It can lead to the covert installation of keystroke copiers that can capture and record sensitive business data. Some malware is designed to overload your servers to the point of inoperability.

This is why you need your employees trained up on essential cybersecurity.

No method is 100% foolproof. Just the same, employees can do their part to help protect your networks by following these simple acts:

• Do not share login or password information via text or email
• Do not download attachments without being sure it is from a trusted source
• Stay current with your malware and virus detection software
• Update your spam filters. See what sort of messages end up in spam so you can recognize them when they do manage to sneak past the filter and into the Inbox
• Hovering your mouse over a link without clicking will reveal where that link goes. It might not be to where they think. When in doubt, don’t. Most well-known entities, such as banks, corporations, or governmental websites, can be accessed through their websites without going through an emailed link.

Stay current with updates

Cybersecurity is a process, and developers know this. If they want to keep your business, it’s on them to not only stay abreast of new cyber threats but to make sure you have the tools needed to combat those threats when they rear their ugly heads (the threats’… not the developers’).

Cyberthreats aren’t the only reason to keep up with updates. Even the best-designed systems and code can have security flaws. Developers hate that, so they send out updates and patches as soon as those flaws are discovered.

When it comes to security updates, these could involve software, operating systems, networks, and even hardware. Don’t assume just one part of your whole business system is vulnerable. When you or one of your employees are alerted to updates by mail, email, text, or phone (and from a confirmed, legitimate source), it’s crucial to implement those updates as soon as possible.

Cybercriminals don’t wait. Neither should you.

A final word on updates: Don’t assume we’re just talking about desktop workstations or servers. Security updates apply to mobile devices as well, such as smartphones and tablets. Any device that is part of your business setup is important to keep protected.

Make cybersecurity news a priority

Just look around. It’s not difficult to find news regarding the latest data breaches, malware warnings, security holes, and phishing scams. Heck, it’s hard not to come across such news on a near-daily basis.

Both you and your employees can protect yourselves and your business by staying on top of the latest news regarding potential threats.

Many online news services offer keyword alerts, so you don’t need to start each day scanning the news for the latest cyber threats. Important information will be emailed automatically as soon as the word appears.

Do you know what to do when a cyberattack happens?

Should business data become compromised, malware installed, or networks infiltrated, are your employees prepared to respond? By having trained your employees to respond to a successful cyberattack, you can significantly reduce downtime and minimize threats to sensitive data.

It’s probably too much to expect every employee becomes a cybersecurity expert. At the very least, though, they should know how to contact one — either in-house or remote. The sooner everyone responds to the problem, the sooner malicious software can be removed and data safely restored. Beyond that, everyone can then take steps to keep the threat from happening again.

Knowledgeable employees are your best defense

Hiring consultants and cybersecurity experts helps a lot. So does making use of the latest in network security devices and software. Your first — and even last — line of defense should be your overall staff.

Get them informed. Get them trained. Better yet, teach your employees how to stay informed. All of these will lead to a more substantial wall of security protecting your networks. This will allow you to focus on making your business flourish.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to share more with you via my Bi-Weekly Word Roundup newsletter sent to subscribers every other Sunday. It will feature news, productivity tips, life hacks, and links to top stories making the rounds on the Internet. You can unsubscribe at any time.