“How can I prevent someone from hacking my company?”

I am asked this question whenever I speak to business CEOs. My response? Ensure your workers never open their emails. Of course, that’s not possible. and the answer is to train them to be your frontline prevention against cybercriminals.

This would be the right place to begin because office workers typically respond to emails in under two minutes, enough time for any cybercriminal to penetrate your company’s customer database and destroy your reputation. Two minutes? 

For instance, seventy percent responded within six seconds after receiving an email, and 85 percent within two minutes and amazingly, the average worker spends 28 percent of their workweek tending to emails; that’s 620 emails every week, or over 11 hours a week.

Cybercriminals know this better than anyone. Now ask me that question again? 

Hackers can access sensitive data, steal medical records and shutdown operations, take control of operating systems and demand a ransom for your data and as a result can control your operating systems. However, it’s unlikely they would return your data.

Here are some steps to take in your quest for cybersecurity. 

Recognize phishing attacks

Phishing is a term used to describe cybercriminals who “fish” for information from unsuspecting users, likely your employers. Most of all, cybercrimes start with phishing emails. Phishing attacks seek to get sensitive information by using URLs and files to deceive their targets.

Don’t blame your employees for phishing attacks

Employees know basic cyber defence applications in today’s cybersecurity world, but you shouldn’t blame them rather should Implement an employee training program.

Invest in employee training

And continue to invest. Similarly, fresh attacks develop monthly, if not daily, and your approach to guarding against them shouldn’t be on a budget or on a one-day-a-year basis.

Password security training 

Passwords that are long enough, use multiple character sets (for instance uppercase, lowercase, numerals, symbols), don’t use complete words, don’t share and change on a non-scheduled basis and cut down the risk of a password being used to break into your database. 

Typically, phishing attack emails involve the following -

• Lousy grammar and spelling errors
• Unfamiliar salutations
• Inconsistencies in email addresses, links & URLs 
• Suspicious attachments
• Requests for login credentials, payment information or customer data.

To learn more about the services offered by Cyology Labs visit - https://www.cyologylabs.com/