As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do cyber criminals. Even the most well-prepared and protected organization will experience a cyberattack at some point. While there are many things that a company can do to prevent or thwart such an attack, there are certain points of entry that are more vulnerable than others.
Keeping up with the latest privacy and security technology is an important part of protecting your organization. Your employees, however, are by far your biggest vulnerability. Cyber criminals bank on getting through to that one individual who unwittingly clicks on a phishing link or neglects to practice the security protocols outlined in company policies.
I lose sleep over some of my own employees falling victim to one of these attacks.
- Phishing and social engineering attacks
These attacks target employees directly. They can be difficult to spot and can lead to compromised user accounts and ransomware attacks. The best protection is user education and awareness. The more an employee understands about phishing and the value of their personally identifiable information, the less likely they are to fall prey.
- Password sharing
When employees share passwords to applications and websites, it can lead to many problems. It can be particularly dangerous when employees have access to banking and other financial websites. Password managers can help by ensuring the passwords are strong and shared only with those people with a need to know.
- Limiting employee access to information
It’s important for employees to have access to applications and information. However, access should be limited to what is needed to do their job. A role-based resource policy helps to prevent malicious attacks from inside of an organization. A strong access auditing tool can also help by calling attention to odd employee behavior before it becomes a problem for the organization.
Sound IT policies and up-to-date infrastructure coupled with a strong and ongoing employee training program can help minimize the risk of a potentially devastating cyberattack – and help folks like me get some sleep. Assessing your current IT risks is a good place to start. We can do it for as little as $1,000 and set you on a path toward greater security and peace of mind.
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