Massive amounts of data are collected and stored by companies. A lack of employee cybersecurity awareness can cause a major cyber-threat.
Firms handle sensitive data like customers’ credit card information. A simple mistake from any employee can make the company vulnerable to hackers. Thus, it is important to educate employees about the mistakes to avoid.
As technology has transformed, cybersecurity threats are also continuously evolving. They must stay up-to-date on the latest threats and take necessary steps to prevent them.
According to Esentire’s 2023 Official Cybercrime Report,
Here are some cybersecurity awareness tips for employees that the company can teach them or the employees themselves can get educated on.
1. Think Twice Before You Click
Clicking a suspicious link can be a trap set by hackers. Employees must be cautious of the unknown links they get through messages, emails, or other web pages that are not secure enough.
The most common method hackers use to gain access to the data is clickjacking. Do not click on these malicious links. If one does so, the company can lose hefty amounts and affect the employees and the company in many other ways.
Links in emails in the form of bank statements, password recovery emails, etc., are the popular methods they use to trick and gain business information.
These links may lead to fake sites similar to the real ones. Then, the hackers will ask you to provide personal information to gain access to the account using the same.
2. Have a Strong and Varied Password
This is another essential cybersecurity tip. Having the same password for multiple platforms may be easy to use and remember, making the account insecure and vulnerable.
Having different passwords for all the accounts on all platforms is essential. Doing this practice, even if a company where hackers access one of the account credentials, or you have an account breached, these different credentials will protect other accounts.
Also, they must use strong passwords for all their accounts, which is essential for online security.
Strong passwords:
- It should have at least 16 characters
- It should contain symbols, mixed letters, and numbers
- Avoid using words, especially proper nouns,
- Should not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- Should not re-use
3. Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) allows you to add extra layers of security. The MFA process also includes the standard method of using passwords for online verification. In addition, it uses a password and another authentication method, such as a fingerprint, a code, or OTP.
While logging in, with this method, you will be asked to enter more than two credentials. This makes it more difficult for hackers to access your data.
It keeps your account more secure. This is another essential cybersecurity measure that all employees must take.
According to a report on Multi-Factor Authentication Market by Markets and Markets,
4. Update Systems Regularly
IT teams must regularly update employee systems, browsers, operating systems, and software. This is the most critical cybersecurity measure in the workplace for employees. Also, they must update the firewalls that are in use.
The older the system and its configurations, more susceptible it is to hackers. Updating them will prevent hackers from using them for a long time until new updates are released.
5. Keep a Secure Backup of all Critical Data
The backup solution is the best practice to keep business and personal information safe. Ransomware is known as one of the biggest threats to data. Ransomware and malware, encrypts systems, files, and networks of victims.
To prevent this, they must maintain a backup solution for all the critical data using a cloud or physical hard drive. The cloud backup can create a copy of the data on a server and host it in another location.
Physical backups should be kept in a safe, secure place after encrypting. Using these methods, the backed data can be restored in case of any data loss or theft.
Also Read: Why Enterprises Need to Strike the Right Balance Between Cybersecurity Anxiety and Awareness
6. Practice Data Protection and Encryption
Firms must ensure employees do not disclose information to the public. Also, they must take precautions when communicating or sharing sensitive information online.
Hackers can pose as authoritative figures like government officials, to trick employees into revealing sensitive information, such as credentials. Therefore, they need to be aware when sharing sensitive information by double-checking the legitimacy of requests and encrypting data before sending it so that the intended receiver can only access the data with the help of a decryption key.
Summing Up
Proper awareness can help employees strengthen cybersecurity. Companies must train their staff to follow the essential steps to protect the data from cyberattacks.
Also, they must stay updated with the latest tech, which will help them identify potential threats.
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