With many businesses increasing their use of online computing to conduct business operations, the risk of online security breaches has skyrocketed. No matter the size of your organization, all companies are fair game for hackers and online data loss. To mitigate these disastrous situations, network security solutions must be implemented.
Watch for These 4 Business Security Threats
Organizations who place online security at the bottom of their priority list are in for a rude awakening. Companies must be aware of where threats can materialize to avoid costly disruptions. Here are six places where businesses need to watch for security threats.
1) Disgruntled employees: Despite your best efforts, not everyone can be pleased with results, processes, and decisions made by the company. When these feelings fester, a company’s data and systems can be the target of an internal attack masterminded by a disgruntled employee. Staff members, particularly those in IT departments, can do some serious damage. To prevent chaos caused by an unhappy staff member, terminate accounts and credentials no longer in use, and revoke the permissions of employees who no longer work for the company. Monitoring sensitive accounts will also go a long way to ensuring the safety of your IT infrastructure.
2) Cloud applications: The Microsoft Cloud is becoming a common document management system for company use. According to a recent poll, 86% of businesses use extensive and multiple cloud storage systems. While it is an effective method of storing content, there are risks that it is not immune to. Even the most secure organizations experience data breaches; the IRS had one back in 2015. When business data is compromised, it can cause serious disruptions, especially if it is sensitive/confidential information. Establish cloud security controls by heavily encrypting your data before storing it in the cloud.
3) Third-party service providers: While they can be needed to assist with specialized and complex technology, third-party service providers do not always follow security best practices identified by the company. If their remote access tools that are connected to your network are hacked, the hacker now has access to your network and all your data. Login credentials can easily be stolen when they are not at the appropriate strength level. To avoid this threat, explicitly discuss expectations and online security best practices with your contractors.
4) Uninformed/careless employees: With the threat that online computing presents, businesses cannot afford to have uninformed and careless employees. If they have weak passwords, visit unauthorized websites, or click links in suspicious emails, your data can be breached within minutes. Companies need to train employees about secure online behaviour. They also need to offer ongoing support.
With security breaches on the rise and threat methods becoming harder to recognize, businesses are more at risk now than ever. It is critical that companies manage disgruntled employees, encrypt data stored in the cloud, and train staff to avoid compromising IT infrastructure.
