We are offering some very important tips for businesses to get started protecting their businesses from cybersecurity threats.
We are seeing businesses being targeted by national and international criminal syndicates that are highly sophisticated, well-funded and technologically adept and no business can afford to ignore cybersecurity threats or overlook putting in place strong safeguards.
- Take responsibility or assign an individual or individuals to be responsible for safeguards
- Assess the risks to sensitive information in your offices, including operations, physical environment, computer systems and employees
- Make a list of all the locations where information is kept (computers, filing cabinets, websites)
- Write a plan of detailing what every employee needs to do to safeguard such information. Put the appropriate safeguards in place
- Use only service providers who have policies in place to also maintain an adequate level of information protection as defined by your Safeguard Rules
- Be sure to monitor, evaluate and adjust security programs as business or circumstances change
There are five action-item categories:
Identify:
- Identify and control who has access to business information
- Conduct background checks
- Require individual user computer accounts for each employee
- Create policies and procedures for information security
Protect:
- Limit employee access to data and information
- Install Surge Protectors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
- Patch operating systems and applications
- Install and activate software and hardware firewalls on business networks
- Secure wireless access point and networks
- Set up web and email filters
- Use encryption for sensitive business information
- Dispose of old computers and media safely
- Train employees
Detect:
- Install and update anti-virus, spyware and other malware programs
- Maintain and monitor logs
Respond:
- Develop a plan for disasters and information security incidents
Recover:
- Make full backups of important business data/information
- Make incremental backups of important business data/information
- Consider cyber insurance
- Make improvements to processes, procedures and technologies