Is Your Startup Safe from Cyber Attacks?
Cybersecurity is one of the major concerns for businesses today, especially since most of them operate online. Cyber-attacks have always been a threat, the number of attacks has significantly grown in the last few years.
Even with risks involved, the Internet is the favorite place of most individuals and various businesses as well. It’s safe to say that the benefits of the online world outweigh the risks.
However, the biggest concern is with startup owners who are struggling to reach the market and make a name for themselves. The main reason is that they usually can’t spare enough funds to effectively protect their business from cyber-attacks.
On the other hand, if you manage your finances well, you’ll be able to invest in your business and still obtain basic protection that will keep your startup safe until your business grows. Here are a few tips that will help you keep your startup safe from cyber attacks.
The commitment to security goes even further: In order to keep customer information private and secure, companies are highly recommended to get an SSL certificate for their websites in order to enable safe online transactions. With the help of SSL, the data exchange between server and client is encrypted. This means that hackers cannot easily read or intercept the transmitted data.
Implement Security Software Early On
Anti-virus and anti-malware software are essential for protecting your startup from cyber attacks. Many cyber attacks use some kind of malicious software to breach your security and break into your computer or network.
Security software helps prevent such attacks by detecting and removing such software before it can cause any damage.
Most anti-virus programs come with a free trial, but it’s good to pay for a monthly or annual subscription.
It’s a good investment because it doesn’t cost a lot and it won’t put too much strain on your budget. However, it will give you much-needed protection to keep your data and files safe.
Cyber Attack Awareness Is The Key
Knowing how to identify a potential threat can save you and your startup a lot of trouble. As an entrepreneur, you have to do your best to keep your business on track and protect it from threats.
Being aware of what may potentially hurt you will help you out immensely. For instance, don’t open every email you get unless you’re 100% certain it’s from a legitimate source.
Even if you do open it, don’t click on any links that email urges you to.
These types of emails are called phishing scams, where attackers pose as familiar sources to lure you into revealing your password or other sensitive information. Furthermore, make sure that you use strong passwords that are at least 12 characters long and a combination of numbers, symbols, and both small and capital letters.
Also, don’t use the same password more than once. You can additionally protect your login credentials by implementing Multi-factor authentication (MFA) which adds a code sent to your phone as a text message to the login process.
Identify Your Weaknesses
The best way to protect your startup is to identify where it’s most vulnerable. Attacks come in various forms, such as phishing, malware, viruses, distributed denial of service (DDoS), and other malicious software.
Hackers always look for weak spots in your security so they can exploit them. That’s why you must identify which areas of your business are most vulnerable and most likely to be attacked so that you can take proper precautions.
That way you’ll be able to get one step ahead of the attackers and implement cybersecurity monitoring and detection to spot and prevent attacks, as well as possible breaches. After all, by tending to your startup’s weak spots, you’ll be able to protect them more efficiently.
Update Your Devices Regularly
Let’s be honest, no one likes annoying notifications about device and software updates and most people ignore them indefinitely. However, outdated devices and software are most vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Regular updates are essential to upgrade your devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers with the latest security and usability patches.
Hackers tend to target outdated tech because it’s easier to breach. Also, every software and app you’re using for business or personal reasons can get attacked as well. That’s why it’s important to allow your devices and software to update regularly. You can set up automatic updates, but you’ll just have to learn to live with annoying notifications.
Backup Your Data
Keeping your startup safe from cyberattacks isn’t just about prevention and remedy. It’s also about recovering from an attack in case one manages to slip by your defenses. Cyberattacks can erase all of your sensitive information and business-related data in one swoop and that’s why you need to have backups at all times.
Make sure you have copies and data duplicates on external hard drives that you can encrypt and store in a remote location. A more suitable option would be to use cloud-based data storage to safeguard your files. Without backups, any cyberattack could mean your startup’s demise.
Making sure your startup is safe from cyber-attacks doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive for that matter. If you’re well aware of where threats lurk, and if you implement a few security measures, you’ll be able to keep your startup safe until you earn enough money to upgrade your cybersecurity.
