How to Prevent a Cyber Security Breach: Four Ways to Protect Your Network From Attacks
Did you know that 71% of all data breaches are financially motivated?
Meaning that working in the financial sector puts a massive target on your organization for cybercriminals.
Need to brush up on your cybersecurity awareness? Then read our three crucial tips to help protect your network from attacks:
Take Inventory of Your Assets
Knowing the state of your software/hardware assets and physical infrastructure will give you a clear picture of what - and how much - you’re protecting.
Inventory awareness also provides the necessary information to rate and categorize potential vulnerabilities and threats. You can then prioritize your threats more economically, ensuring assets receive the appropriate attention without over-extending your resources.
Going Beyond Antivirus Solutions for Endpoints
Endpoints (e.g., desktops, laptops) can’t be protected from data breaches with antivirus software alone.
Instead, endpoint protection requires a solution including encryption to prevent data loss. You should also instill safeguard policies throughout each network, server, and endpoint to stave off cyberattacks.
Invest in a VCM Tool
Investing in a vulnerability and compliance management (VCM) tool offers the following benefits:
Identifying physical and virtual security weaknesses and misconfigurations
Continuous infrastructure and IT asset monitoring to flag compliance weaknesses and encourage configuration best practices
Better illustrates the threat landscape to your security team
Educate Your Team
Your employees are integral to preventing cybersecurity attacks. Without their total commitment to procedures, they’re bound to make mistakes and leave your organization vulnerable.
Each employee must buy into the process, learning cybersecurity policies inside and out to protect sensitive information.
Generally, employees should be trained in these areas:
● The “least privilege” policy with concerns to controlling end-user access
● Using unique, hard-to-crack passwords for all work-related programs and devices
● Flagging suspicious data breaches and leakage
● Handling, retrieving and sending sensitive data
● Detecting phishing scams
Following our above suggestions is a significant first step to bolstering the cybersecurity efforts for your financial business.
