Are you Taking These Steps to Prevent a Data Breach?

To many business owners, the idea of a data breach seems like a faraway disaster that happens to other people, like a tsunami in Asia or a hurricane in Florida. You may be fairly safe from those particular events, but here in Southern California, we get fires and earthquakes. Just because you haven’t experienced a data breach yet does not mean hackers won’t get around to you sooner or later.

So, what is a data breach? It’s when a hacker breaks into your network and steals information. This can be names, emails, or credit card numbers or whatever other data your customers entrust to you. Letting it be stolen is bad for your business and can drive your customers away.

You cannot afford to feel complacent about data breaches, because one can literally put you out of business. Aside from costing you a lot of money, they erode your customers’ trust and confidence in you. Add on fines and litigation, and you are well on your way to becoming one of the 60% of small businesses that are forced to close within six months of the disaster.

Let’s look at how to stop his disaster from happening to you.

Why should I care about a data breach?

It all depends on how much you care about the prospect of closing your company’s doors for good. Data breaches are terrible things. They will cost you money and your customers’ trust. You may face substantial fines. It is vital to try to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

How can data breaches be prevented?

As we at IT Support LA always say, “Anything can be hacked.” Here are some crucial steps to help keep your data safe:

1: Create strong passwords

For quite a few years running, the world’s most common password is ‘123456.’ It’s also the easiest to crack. Hackers will enter that on their first try. Create long, complex passwords that are hard to guess. Include letters, numbers, and symbols, and DO NOT use the same password for all of your accounts. Check out our tips on how to create strong passwords.

2: Ongoing employee training

Over 90% of data breaches are caused by untrained and unaware employees. Schedule ongoing Security Awareness Training. Among other things, this will teach them how to identify fake, phishing emails and to avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments.

3: Keep your software update and patched

Always update your computer programs, apps, software and OS (Operating System). Updates usually patch security holes. Have your computer set to update automatically.

4: Encrypt!

Encrypting your data scrambles your it so that nobody that steals it can read it. Only people who have a special key can read it. Use encryption on important information.

5: Limit access permissions

Don’t give everyone access to everything. The loading dock foreman doesn.t need access to accounting or sales data. Not everyone needs to know everything. Only give people access to what they need for their work.

6: Backup, backup, BACKUP!

If you don’t have regular, secure data backups in place, you are the fish in the barrel. Create copies of your important information and keep them in multiple safe locations, including the cloud. This will save your hide in case anyone steals or destroys your data – or encrypts it with Ransomware.

7: Use a firewall and anti-virus (AV)

These are the basic building blocks of cybersecurity - the firewall acts like a guard for your computer, and the AV detects malware and either disposes of it or alerts you to its presence. They both block the bad things from getting inside your network.

8: Respect the perils of email

Email phishing is by far the #1 method of cyber-attack. Almost every data breach starts with a trick email. Don’t open emails from people you don’t know. Never click on links or attachments unless you are sure that they are safe.

9: Don’t let your Wi-fi be your Achilles Heel

People tend to overlook Wi-fi security, and hackers know it. At a minimum, use a strong password on your Wi-Fi. Do not leave the default password on. Update your Wi-Fi password frequently.

10: Make a plan and stick to it

If you don’t have one in place, formulate a comprehensive Backup and Disaster Recovery plan. In the event of a data breach, you need to quickly take automatic and predetermined steps to stem and remove the malware. Alert your IT support (if they don’t already know) and follow your established procedures. Do practice drills so you are ready if there is an intrusion.

Even with good plans, data breaches can still happen. If one does, act quickly and inform your customers about a successful data breach ASAP.

Fix the problem that led to the breach. Then, use what you learned from that mistake to make your security better.

Stay Safe and Secure

Data security keeps your business and customers safe, so take these steps to prevent data breaches. Always be on guard against new threats. If you need help, ask experts like IT Support LA.