The Importance of Cyber-Security
By Sandra Desouza
|
It is undeniable that no industry is safe from cyber-attacks, we have seen many industries Healthcare, Retail, and Banking sectors face attacks with major disruption to their business systems. Mid-sized companies and start-ups have increasingly come under target by cyber-criminals in the hope of easy access and the lack of control measures in place. The cost to a business can be high, ranging from financial loss to reputational damage.
The growing use of smarter phones, cloud computing technology, the internet, and the wider availability of information in cyber-space has opened new avenues for cyber criminals and hackers to access information. The increase in phishing e-mails requesting security information, file hijackers holding your files ransom and screenshot managers taking screenshots of your screen without consent is a concern. There is a rise in ad clickers creating online advert links that direct you to their website, hackers causing disruption and stealing data, and the recent DDO attacks rendering a network or website unusable. It comes as no surprise why we should be exercising caution and implementing security measures.
To overcome rising cyber-security threats, it is now more important than ever that businesses take measures to prevent breaches.
- Educating people on the importance of cyber-security and making employees aware of potential-cyber-attacks.
- Introducing measures to replace vulnerable and outdated computer systems.
- Enforcing control measures over software and hardware used.
- Investing in firewalls, anti-virus, spam filters and encryption to safeguard websites, applications, protect private data and online transactions.
- Taking a cyber insurance policy out to protect your business against any potential threats.
- Recruiting cyber security specialists.
Cyber-security is becoming increasingly important issue in the digital age and with cyber-attacks on the rise, every industry is a target. Educating employees about these potential threats, being proactive, employing advanced security strategies and tools, that prevent costly data breaches and disruptions, all help to safeguard your business against cyber-criminal activity.
