We see many ads on TV about protecting our personal information. But what about protecting your business? Protecting your business is just as important. So treat your business like a modern-day castle. Review this Q&A for a quick education on how you can do it.

• How can my business be attacked?
• How do these attacks impact my organization?
• How can I protect our network from hackers?
• How can I build a wall for our 'castle'?
• How can I lock the gate of our 'castle'?
• How can I train staff to guard our 'castle'?
  
  

How can my business be attacked?

• Ransomware
• Hackers encrypt your files
• Work comes to a stop
• Potentially a permanent file loss
• Even if you pay, no guarantees

• Cyber email/extortion
• Very common as part of ransomware attacks now
• Steal your files and release them on the dark web if you don’t pay

• Access your computer system
  • Steal intellectual property or company secrets to sell to competitors
  • Gain access to your bank account; transfer funds
  • If you store/process confidential information, they can sell:
    • Financial – average $6/record
    • Medical – as much as $259/record

How do these attacks impact my organization?

• Ransom cost to recover data
• Competitor access to your company secrets
• Federal/State fines due to loss of confidential information
• Negative impact on the reputation of your company
• Criminal negligence charges from State governments

How can I protect our network from hackers?

Think of your organization like it’s a castle from the olden days. What would you need to protect your castle? A high wall, a locked gate, and armed guards inside might help?

How can I build a wall for our 'castle'?

• Modern and managed firewall
• Wi-Fi password changed regularly
• Separate guest and business Wi-Fi with different passwords
• Antivirus on your servers, laptops and desktops
• Email protection

How can I lock the gate of our 'castle'?

• Passwords
  • Require them, change them often
  • Employ multi-factor authorization (MFA)
• Physical security
  • Lock server and network equipment rooms
  • Encrypt computers/laptops in case of theft
• Appropriate access
  • Limit access to need to know
  • Extend minimum access necessary
• Data backups
  • Keep backups of your backups somewhere safe

How can I train staff to guard our 'castle'?  

• Provide ongoing training, not just for new employees.
• Conduct phishing awareness training and exercises
• Train staff on response to suspicious emails, websites, and computer behavior
• Prepare an incident response plan (IRP) in case you are a victim of an attack

If you need help protecting your castle, get in touch for an IT assessment today.

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in touch.