7 Safety Measures To Keep Your Business Safe Online

In today’s technological world, it is vital to keep a business presence online as it has become the default method for customers looking to connect. Unfortunately, safety is the most significant risk for small startups, and protecting the business against cyber-crimes is essential. Here are 6 Safety measures to keep your business safe online.

Detect and Avoid Phishing Emails

Phishing Emails contain malware that hackers use to inject software into the business’s network to harm and exploit the system’s most vulnerable points. The business will do well to educate employees on what to look for, like different email and sender names, an offer too good to be true, a request with a limited time to expire, or even confirmation emails. Having email filtering systems will help filter out questionable content.

Update your Software

Software updates usually include bug fixes designed to enhance security for the confidential information of the business and its customers. Setting an update regularly will ensure the business does not miss any critical updates. A software update is vital with cyber liability insurance to claim damages easier without hiccups.

There are security firms that dedicate themselves to finding vulnerabilities in software. Every day more exploits and weaknesses are discovered. Usually, the large tech companies have time to make patches and security updates. Since cybersecurity is a constantly evolving field, it is critical to keep things up to date.

Backup Your Data

Cyber insurance liability will only offer monetary compensation, and it falls on the business to back up data in case of a breach. Back up the data in a different server to get the business running easier in a set time frame if the other has been damaged or deleted.

Remember the 123 rule when backing up your data. 1 off-site backup, 2 different formats, and 3 different copies. Having an off-site backup will make sure you keep your data even in the event of a flood. Having two formats of backup will help you keep the data even if one type of media fails. 3 copies will ensure redundancy.

Use Strong Passwords

The simplest way to have a safe business online is by having a strong password. A strong password with characters, numbers, and letters will make it more difficult for hackers to get the information. Do not automate remembering of passwords and periodically change them.

One method to get strong passwords is to use a password manager. A password manager can generate and remember randomized passwords. Since they are randomly generated and can be very long, they are very hard to crack. Another bonus of a password manager is that you can generate a random password for each site. If one becomes compromised, you don’t need to worry about your other passwords. The thing you will need to keep in mind is that you will have to remember the password for the password manager. But how can you make that password strong?

Making a strong password is easier than you might think. All you will have to do is make a sentence or phrase. Something memorable. Having a whole sentence will make it hard to crack, and easy to remember. Just be sure to throw in a few numbers and special characters to make it easy. An example of a sentence password would be “PicturesOfSpiderman1952!”. That password is long, memorable, and has special characters. The longer, the better.

Two Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is a system to make sure of the identity of who is logging in. 2FA ranges from additional texts with login codes to entire apps dedicated to generating random codes. Two-factor authentication can be annoying at times, but the added security of the second point of contact cannot be denied.

Protect Firmware

Firmware is the software that interacts directly with the hardware. Firmware attacks are now on the rise, with software security awareness increasing. Protect the business from the attacks and check for malicious codes that can be updated to the devices using USB, Wi-Fi, and even Bluetooth drops. Purchase hardware with inbuilt firmware protection and update firmware regularly. Do not forget to review how accessible the business is to the public, as not every walk-in is a customer.

Firmware is found on more and more devices these days, from smart devices to microwaves. If it can access the internet, it can be a liability. Only download firmware from the manufacturer’s website. Update firmware as regularly as possible. Some firmware isn’t updated that frequently but you should still check. Firmware is also known to occasionally include new features as well as security updates.

Keep Personal Information Personal

Using social media profiles, it’s easy to figure out passwords security questions to gain access to the business. Avoid posting any information like birthdays, addresses, and personal victories linked remotely to the business. Find a balance of marketing and privacy when you are posting information online. People need to know about your business, but they don’t need to know the personal information of your employees.

Be wary of people in networking meetings who are too eager to connect with multiple requests. Educate employees on keeping the business safe online and always use two-step authentication.

Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field. Keeping up to date with the latest security trends is vital to the safety of your business. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming, and accidents will happen. However, you can still take steps to ensure the safety of your business. Follow these guidelines and your business will be much better off than otherwise.