With the increase in technology and the expansion of the global digital market, the word internet has become a household word. The consumer has become tech savvy and the internet is used to make purchases. Purchases from ordering groceries online to buying a car to chatting with their doctor. This is a great for the consumer and the business. But it also opens a door of opportunity for hackers. A hacker is an individual that obtains unauthorized use of the consumer or an organization computer. For the consumer it can be a nightmare as they try to mend their stolen identity. For the organization or business, it can mean a loss of trust, loss of sales, and for a small business it can cause it to fail.
There is no one method a hacker will use. They will send an email that appear legitimate at first glance. Opening it will allow them to install spyware, that is called phishing which will give them access to the customer data stored in the computer from credit card information to personal information. Then there is the man-in-the-middle attack, when the customer or an employee log in the hacker captures the IP address and intercept any information sent or received. Is your computer system safe?
Steps you can take immediately to secure your computer system:
Talk to the website builder and determine if the platform your business operates on is secure. Secure websites begin with https://.
Ensure you are saving information on a secure server, including cloud servers.
Install a firewall.
Train employees how to spot emails and websites that are suspicious. If they open an email or website that compromises the computer or laptop, train them on the steps they need to take.
Passwords should be complicated. Date of birth or date of marriage, etc., is a not a secure password. The password should consist of a capital letter, lower case letter, number, and special character such as $.
Employees should never give their password to another employee or individual.
Using a laptop at the local coffee shop, hotel room, etc. If an alert comes up to warn you the WiFi service is unsecure, believe it. Add security program to laptops for use in those areas.
Cyber security should be a part of a business risk management assessment. Recommend training is done with every new incoming employee and every six months if not yearly with all employees.