Businesses are constantly grappling with new cybersecurity concerns, and the ongoing pandemic has only made things worse. When it comes to cybersecurity, it is best to take a proactive approach, where the focus is on preventing a security breach, rather than trying to control damage after something has happened. In this post, we are sharing some of the best proactive cybersecurity measures that every business should consider in 2021.
- Take help of ethical hackers
Some of the biggest brands are spending on bug bounty programs, where ethical hackers are given incentives to find existing vulnerabilities and bugs. For instance, ethical hackers can try to hack your company’s recorder or any resource, and they report the lapses, which can be then fixed, before a real hacker tries to exploit the same. Engaging the thriving security community is one of the best steps for managing cybersecurity concerns, and running a bug bounty doesn’t have to be expensive either.
- Cybersecurity training for employees
Words are not enough to stress on the importance of cybersecurity training and awareness programs for employees. Employees are at the highest risk of being targeted by hackers, who often rely on several tactics of social engineering for the same. Trained employees know what it takes to handle unexpected phishing attacks and spam emails, and they are usually more responsible about their actions. If your company doesn’t have the expertise to manage cybersecurity internally, consider hiring expertise, but this is a step that cannot be skipped.
- Reduce access
Whether it is about cloud/online resources and software or hardware and network components, reducing access and managing access rights are key steps for proactive cybersecurity. There are many known Identity & Access management suites that can be considered for the purpose, but the eventual idea is to ensure that only those who need access to a resource have the same.
In addition to that, businesses must consider steps like –
- Strong password security and management policies.
- Changing all default passwords.
- Taking regular backups
- Having all software and firmware updated to latest versions
- Updating all operating systems, plugins, and browsers.
Cybersecurity is all about ensuring that the existing vulnerabilities are not exploited, for which steps like penetration testing can be really handy. Make sure that your company has a comprehensive and defined cybersecurity policy in place. Also, it is as important to have an incident management and response plan that can be used to tackle unexpected breaches and incidents.
