Information technology security.
You've heard of it, you've heard you need it, but you might be wondering…
What exactly is IT security anyway?
Why is it so vital to have strong cyber security?
And how do you prevent attacks?
Well, in this article, we're going to answer all of these questions for you and more.
So let's dive right in!
There are so many reasons why knowing the different types of computer security threats is a great idea.
The most common dangers to cybersecurity include:
Let's have a closer look at each one.
One of the biggest cybersecurity threats is breached data.
Everyone, from individuals to government offices, is at risk of security breaches.
When you have confidential information, data security is critical, even more so if you keep your clients' private data!
This means that hackers can get to your data and either:
Either way, having your data breached will result in terrible consequences.
Depending on your industry, hackers can steal people's identities with the information they have. Or, they could distribute it to someone else who might have malicious intentions.
That is why working on your IT security is a must.
Without strong information security, all the sensitive data you have can fall into the wrong hands.
Another threat to your security is man-in-the-middle attacks.
MiTM attacks occur when the hacker inserts themselves in between you and your client's communication.
They can do this in several ways, such as IP spoofing or session hijacking.
IP spoofing is when the hacker uses your IP address to pose as your company.
This way, they can call your clients under your name and ask them for sensitive information.
This will not only endanger your clients, but it can put a terrible reputation on your company name as well.
Session hijacking is when the hacker intercepts a session between your company network server and a client.
Without strong application security, hackers can get in, disconnect the client from the server, and connect the client to themselves instead - all while the client has no idea what's going on.
The result?
Sensitive information is lost once again.
While there are hackers out there, another giant threat to your office computer systems is malware.
Malware is any software that is designed to damage or disrupt a computer.
If your computer has malware on it, it can:
Sound scary?
Well, it is. Malware is one of the biggest threats to your information technology security. And it's also one of the most common.
That's why learning about it and how you can shore up your IT security against it is vital.
If you'd like to learn more about viruses and malware, how you can up your network security against them, and how to remove them, check out our guide here.
You've probably heard of the term phishing before.
It's one of the most common ways hackers try to steal information from your clients.
What is phishing, you ask?
Phishing is another type of MiTM attack. Only this time, the hackers don't actually have to access anything on your end.
All they do is create an email with your branding.
They steal your business logo and colors and might even get an email address similar to yours.
Then they add an email attachment where your clients can fill out their sensitive information (such as their credit card data), and these phishers steal it.
The worst thing about phishing is that there's little you can do about it. All you can do is to make it difficult for hackers to pose as you.
You may also warn your clients not to click on any email they get that isn't from your official source.
If you're using a web application that allows your clients to input information, you may run into code injection.
That is… if your IT security isn't strong.
Hackers who find sites with weak cybersecurity can go to the data input boxes - like where people would put in their username - and insert malicious code.
This code can then steal your data, destroy your data, or even allow them to take over the whole system completely.
To make matters worse, code injection is one of the most common types of cyber attacks.
That is why if you have a website with input boxes, strengthening your IT security is 100% essential.
You do NOT want hackers to breach your network security.
Another type of cyber crime you should be aware of is DDoS.
A lot of websites have a traffic capacity. If there are too many users on the same website at once, it will completely jam up everything.
And that is what DDoS is about. This cyber crime involves sending dozens of requests into your website, completely stalling it.
This way, no one, your clients and yourself, will be able to use it.
It's like a traffic jam, where no one can get to their destination.
But you might be wondering:
“Why would anyone want to clog up my website?”
Good question.
DDoS is most common when it comes to competition. It's a way to damage your competitors without getting your hands dirty (since it's extremely difficult to track who initiated everything).
It can also come from someone seeking revenge. Over the years, several disgruntled employees have used DDoS attacks on their former employers - and it caused chaos.
This cyber attack is especially harmful if your business provides online services.
And it is another reason why having strong IT security is vital nowadays.
But alright.
Enough talking about the threats.
Let's get into what you should do.
Cyber attacks can be very, very scary.
To make matters worse, once you become a victim, it can be very difficult to deal with the attack.
You'll have to get an IT security specialist to deal with it. And you may not like the results (hint: you're probably going to lose everything and start from scratch).
That is why as a business owner, your best bet is to prevent cyber attacks by strengthening your IT security.
Prevention is the best cure.
In the world of IT security, nothing could be truer.
You never know when hackers are going to attempt to break into your site. Sometimes, people just do it for fun.
That's why having excellent information security is a must.
On that note:
How do you improve your IT security and prevent cyber attacks?
Let's find out!
Here are some of the best ways to boost your IT security:
Let's have a closer look at each one.
Just by reading this article, you're already taking a BIG step in the right direction towards better IT security.
Why?
Because being aware of the dangers is the first step in preventing them.
There are too many business owners out there who have no idea of how vulnerable they are. They make dangerous decisions and end up paying the price for it.
That's why learning about network security is vital.
But don't stop there.
As an organization, everyone should be aware of basic IT security practices.
That is why holding regular IT security awareness sessions is a great idea.
This way, you'll all be in it together. Because all it takes is one slip up, and your entire information systems will get attacked.
Your security will be breached, and you'll lose your important data.
Knowledge is no use if you don't put it into action.
The simplest way to improve your IT security is to apply basic security principles.
We're taking the most basic things, such as:
Just by applying these three principles, you'll be a lot safer.
Secure passwords will make it harder to guess, avoiding fishy links prevents malware, antivirus security software can get rid of simple viruses, and strong cloud security ensures that your data on the internet won't get stolen.
Again, there are a lot of hackers out there who are doing it for fun.
A lot of hackers aren't going after something specific. They just want to hone out their skills by hacking into websites and gaining experience.
They don't care that it'll cause you massive headaches and stop your operations.
Now, will those basics stop big attacks from happening?
Probably not.
But it will at least keep you safe from random hackers.
That's why making sure everyone in your organization knows the basics is vital for IT security.
Again, it only takes one mistake for the entire network security to go down.
Having an in-house cyber team is another great way to strengthen your IT security.
And not only should you have an in-house IT team, but you should also support them as well.
Too often, the cybersecurity department of companies lacks the resources they need to provide top-notch network security.
An IT security specialist can't do his or her job without support.
And too many organizations don't value their IT security team enough.
That's why if you want to improve your data security, you should consider creating a cyber team.
This will be a huge step towards better information security for your company.
While not exactly a way to prevent attacks, having a recovery plan is a must-have.
This is so that if ever your security is breached, at least the damage won't be too bad.
Again, even if you hire an IT security specialist, a lot of times, you'll find the only option is to reformat everything and start from scratch.
If you haven't backed up your important data and created a recovery plan, you'll lose everything.
That's why one critical security step you should take is to have a recovery plan in place.
Prepare for the worst!
This will allow business continuity even if you are hit with a bad attack.
BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, is the practice of letting employees bring their own devices to work.
Doing this certainly has some advantages.
But on the flip side, there are several risks involved with this.
If any one of your employees happens to have malware or weak security on their device, it can get into your network and affect everyone.
That is why if ever you are considering letting your employees bring their own devices, make sure you have security protocols first!
You don't want a network security breach just because someone made a tiny, tiny security mistake.
Strong IT security is essential.
With everything you’ve learned here, you should now know the basics of keeping your office safe.
However, if you want to further improve your security - so much so that you won’t ever have to worry about cyber attacks again - then you’ll need an IT security specialist. You’ll need an expert in computer science and security.
There are so many threats out there. And all it takes is one attack for you to lose so much sensitive data.
That’s why you shouldn’t compromise when it comes to information security.
So if you are in or around Pennsylvania, call us now at (833) 600-8864!