Common Cybersecurity Mistakes to Avoid
Many Canadian organizations are ill prepared for a cyberattack. With cyberattacks such as ransomware, phishing, and social engineering becoming increasingly common, it is more important than ever to become informed and protected against these ever-evolving threats.
A single incident can result in devastating financial losses to an organization. For example, ransomware attacks often result in costs of over $65 000 CAD, due to extended downtime. Here are some common errors in cybersecurity protocols that are making huge impacts for Canadian companies:
Neglecting Cybersecurity Training
A company’s employees are the first line of defense against cyberattack. Accidentally clicking on a malicious link in a phishing email is a common method of cyberattack intrusion. However, many organizations forgo basic cybersecurity training for their personnel, deeming it an extraneous expense. In today’s environment, employees are constantly exposed to potential threats while using the internet and email. It is essential to ensure that your company stays informed about techniques to identify malicious emails or dangerous links.
Deploy your Cybersecurity Solution
Using Outdated Operating Systems and Software
While newer versions of software may seem to only contain minor difference in terms of day-to-day usage, software updates that come with newer programs are essential to keeping your endpoints protected from cyberattacks. Even if your organization does not purchase the newest version of programs, it is imperative that you keep your software up-to-date in order to protect yourself against vulnerabilities that have been discovered and patched after its release.
Careless Administrative Policies
Administrative rights to a computer give users the control to manage a system’s core software. If a cyberattacker gains access to a computer on the company network with administrative rights, they can do significantly more damage than if the infected system did not have these rights. With this in mind, it is important to carefully manage which systems in your company have these elevated rights. By reducing the amount of computers with administrative privilege, you reduce the number of vulnerable points that could be attacked.
One of the best ways of identifying vulnerable points in your organization is by working with an IT specialist to come up with a custom security plan. By thoroughly auditing your existing network infrastructure, an IT security company can assist you in determining the most immediate vulnerabilities and help plan the budget for your tailored network security solution. Often, these solutions would be a combination of firewalls, endpoint security software, spam filters, website tracking and filtering, and more.
Not Using Cloud Backups
Cloud backups hold several advantages over on-site storage solutions. Firstly, cloud storage providers such as Google Drive use highly secure safeguarding measures to protect the information stored. Google Drive in particular uses 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption for transferring files, and 128-bit AES keys for stationary files.
Another advantage of cloud backup is by acting as insurance for your on-site storage. Should your organization be affected by hardware damage or a ransomware attack, the cloud backups can reduce the downtime of our company.
No Cybersecurity Management Strategy
The backbone of any cybersecurity solution is clear a management plan. This should outline the protocols and timelines for employee training, password resets, file permission management, new software requests, and more. Without clear protocols, a company’s security becomes chaotic, often leading to vulnerabilities and oversights.
Don’t fall victim to cyberattack. Get started with GIGE Corporation to design and implement your customized IT security strategy. Call us at +1 888 366 4443 or email us at info@gige.ca to get started now.