Why should start-ups pay attention to online security
Credit: Pixabay
The need for cybersecurity is becoming more and more apparent. With the rise of social media, internet use has increased exponentially. This increase in usage means that there is an increasing number of people who are at risk of cyberattacks on their personal information. Cybersecurity breaches can happen to anyone, even if you think your business is small or insignificant. That’s why it’s important for start-ups to pay attention to online security, it could save your company from a costly attack! If you want to learn about how hackers gain access, what they steal when they do so, and how to defend yourself against them (even if you’re not a tech expert!) This article will be helpful.
1. I’m not technical, what can I do to protect myself from a cyberattack before it happens?
The best way to fight cyberattacks is simply knowing how they work and what the warning signs are! One of the most important things you can do is prevent employees from opening suspicious emails or clicking on website links that seem malicious. Hackers only need one employee to fall for their tricks in order to effectively pull off a cyberattack so it’s important to keep your employees informed about how these attacks work and what they look like. Additionally, before you decide which firewall, antivirus, or antimalware software you want to use, it’s important to know their pros and cons and read reviews from people who actually have experience with those programs. Of course, you don’t have to know all about Norton 360 but you should definitely take some time to learn about the different strengths and weaknesses of different protection tools, as some might be better in one area than the other. Also, always make sure the firewall you are using is working correctly and keeping hackers out of your system! It’s probably the easiest way to ensure that you won’t get hacked.
If your business is hacked and data is stolen you need to take immediate action! The crucial thing when dealing with a cybersecurity breach is making sure no one has access to your private information. You should immediately change passwords on all of your accounts and contact companies that may have been affected by the data breach, such as banks or credit card companies where any account numbers were taken. This will help protect you from criminals trying to use personal information for illegal activity.
2. What are some common cyberattacks that can affect my business?
One of the most popular types of online security breaches is called a Distributed Denial of Service attack, or DDoS for short. This type of breach occurs when people flood your network with so much data that it slows down or crashes your system. By doing this, these ‘hackers’ are essentially disabling you from using the internet. A notable example would be the cyberattack on DynDNS in October 2016, where their DNS servers were turned off by more than 1 million bots. Another common type of cyberattack is a phishing scam, which is when emails are sent to employees to trick them into clicking on malware links within the, allowing hackers access to personal information. This is becoming more and more common, especially with emails that are sent to employees under the guise of being an official company email. If your business deals with finances, another type of cyberattack you should be aware of is Man-in-the-Browser attacks. With this attack, hackers gain access to a computer through malware, gaining the ability to change information on financial websites without users knowing any better.
3. What can I do to protect myself if a cyberattack takes place?
Credit: Pixabay
If your business is ever the victim of a cyberattack, there are a few things you should do to recover and prevent it from happening again. In case a cyberattack does take place, the first thing you should do is disable all company devices from the internet and turn off your router. By disabling this device, hackers will not be able to access it or gain information from other devices on the network. Hiring a cybersecurity company to see if they can help and assess the breach should be a priority because they can let you know exactly where your systems have been compromised. The next step would be taking all of the accounts that were breached during the attack offline so no other hackers can get in them while you’re fixing the issue.
After that is taken care of, you should inform law enforcement officials immediately because they might have additional resources to add to your defense system! Finally, report the incident through your insurance company’s website to ensure that your claim goes smoothly and that you get reimbursed for any financial loss experienced due to a cybercrime attack. Remember to immediately alert everyone who has been affected by the hack so they don’t fall victim again!
Start-ups should be prepared for online security breaches because hackers can gain access if a single employee opens a malicious email or clicks a link within it. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to stay informed about cyberattacks and how they work. It’s also important to make sure your firewall is up-to-date in order to prevent attacks from happening. If you were affected by a cyberattack, the most important thing is to take action immediately. Change all passwords on all accounts that use private information (i.e banks, credit card companies). Finally, keep an eye out for suspicious emails in the future!
