Cyber security threats are appearing daily. In October alone there were 421 million instances of data breaches and cyber-attacks in the UK. According to 2019’s official Annual Cybercrime Report, a business will fall victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds across the globe.
Therefore, it’s crucial that if you run a business that you have an effective suite of IT security products — they are not an optional extra. Although businesses are using an array of devices and applications to share information, these all bring vulnerabilities that can easily be exploited by cyber-criminals. A robust cyber-security strategy is a must if you are to stay ahead of the game. This will let you deliver several key services to ensure a multi-layered security approach.
So, what processes must be in place to give you that peace of mind that your cyber-security provides a compliant, secure and efficient environment? Here, RedMosquito explains:
A multi-layered approach to cyber-security covers:
Patching
Protect your system against lower level cyber-attacks through patch management. This should be a core element of your IT security system. Of course, software on computers and network devices have many weaknesses which are regularly exploited by cyber-criminals. Normally, if there’s sign of a security flaw, patches are issued. Interestingly, the high profile WannaCry and Petya attacks both exploited vulnerabilities which had previously been flagged by Microsoft. Because of this, patches had already been issued several months before the actual attacks. It was the computers which weren’t patched that were impacted.
Anti-virus and network monitoring
RedMosquito’s Managed Antivirus service can prevent emerging malware as well as well-known threats from your workstations and servers. This service stays up to date with the latest threats via traditional signature-based protection and also allows us to monitor your environment in real time for any outbreak.
Spam filtering
A company e-mail is one of the most common delivery methods an attacker will use. Ensure you have a spam filtering tool set up to ‘stand guard’. This will help to screen any inbound e-mail threats our business may receive and remove any malicious content before it gets anywhere near your organisation. Because of this highly cautious approach, it will hold anything that appears in any way questionable until you instruct it to release it.
Web content filtering
Like e-mail filters, you should use a content filtering system that will block access to any non-work-related sites This could include social networking sites and gaming platforms. Content filtering will block access to any websites which could possibly distribute malicious software, malicious programs or viruses that can cause huge problems for your network.
Backup and disaster recovery
Always have a full-system backup in place to protect your data in the event of a disaster. This will allow you to have a recovery option for catastrophic failures. Cloud-based backup services which are fully automated and secure can provide a strong off-site backup.
Mobile device Management
Recent years has seen the use of workplace mobile devices soar. Yes, this may improve productivity, but it also enhances the risk of theft, loss, or cyber-security breach. A mobile device management service will ensure your devices remain secure, are appropriately configured and are optimised.
As well as ensuring you have a multi-layered security services, you should look at progressing towards the UK Government’s Cyber Essentials scheme. This is a cyber security certification which allows you to demonstrate that you have basic cyber security controls in place. Make sure you don’t fall foul to the hackers, like the Labour party did just a matter of days ago.