79% of Businesses Were Hacked in 2016. Was Yours One of Them?
June 27th, 2017 by admin
Getting caught off-guard in a cyber security attack is a disaster for any business, large or small—and the frequency of attacks is only getting worse.
According to the CyberEdge 2017 Cyberthreat Defense Report, hackers successfully compromised security at least once for 79.2 percent of businesses over the last 12 months.
These figures may be alarming, but keep in mind that all businesses can (and should) be taking proactive steps to prevent attacks, and to make a quick recovery from any breaches. Here's how you can protect yourself, with help from a Managed Service Provider.
Increase in data breaches
Even if your business has not been attacked in the past year, the odds of staying under the radar aren't in your favor. In 2016, businesses experienced a 40 percent increase in data breaches over 2015. The situation is especially bad for smaller businesses: 60 percent of small companies that suffer a major cyber attack go under within six months.
Less severe incidents are more common, but businesses are typically ill-prepared for them. A staggering 63 percent of small business owners report their websites have come under attack by hackers or spammers; of those attacked, 79 percent say they have no plan for what to do if it happens again. Most businesses find that mobile devices and social media services are the weakest links in their online security.
Protective Measures against Cyber Attack
The best protective measures against digital security threats are to secure networks, websites, applications, and social media platforms, and to implement a reliable backup system. The following tips provide a baseline to help your business minimize its security risks:
- Use unique, secure passwords for all accounts including internal services, external services, email, and connected social media to prevent data breaches.
- Activate "2-Step Verification" for applicable services.
- Use Secure HTTP for websites and applications that pass personal information.
- Take advantage of desktop management services; make sure computers are running up-to-date software to minimize exposure to known security holes.
- Keep antivirus and anti-malware software updated; run scans on a frequent basis to protect from malware infections.
- Program internally developed services to prevent SQL injection.
- Secure the Wi-Fi/Internet and manage employee credentials.
- Secure mobile devices, tablets, and laptops so they can be disabled if lost or stolen.
In Case of Emergency: Disaster Recovery
Ransomware is major concern for businesses these days: 61 percent of businesses say they were compromised at least once by malware demanding payment to return data. Unfortunately, some companies that decide to pay the ransom still don't get their data back. The best thing your company can do to protect itself from ransomware is to limit the amount of damage an attack can do through backup and disaster recovery. Using the "3-2-1 backup rule" and running frequent backups can be the difference between losing all of your data permanently, and losing a single day's work.
Digital security should never take a break. If your business is looking to build a better defense against cyber threats, the experts at ATS can help with both desktop and server management. Contact us today to learn more.