Dangers can often lie within. This is an information age where data is gold and in this day and age, no matter what business you are in, your Information Technology department is often your greatest asset. 2017, the year that went by, saw high-profile, massive data breaches which affected lives and systems equally, thus putting into context, the importance of maintaining a secure, compliant work environment.
Network administrators will always try and ensure that their organization’s cybersecurity is up to date. But often, there are hidden dangers which might get swept under the radar and thus contribute to a severe breach down the line.
1. Weak passwords
This is a potentially small but significant problem which can have wide-ranging consequences. Ensuring that your employees are aware of the need to have strong, difficult passwords is a simple but useful step in greatly increasing your cybersecurity. Weak passwords are the easiest way for hackers to steal important company data. Apart from spreading awareness about maintain difficult, hard-to-crack password, network administrators must periodically review and assess the password strength of their organization.
2. Back-up policies
Back-up policies are the insurance plan for organizations. It is imperative that any organization, whether a small or a big one, has a proper back-up plan in place. The details of the plan can vary from organization to organization but to have a strong one with policies and processes laid down in place for any eventuality, is very important. Losing critical data and not being able to recover it could ground down an organization instantly.
3. Phishing scams
Phishing scams pose hidden risks because even the strongest security solutions may not be able to detect all of them. In 2016, a Snapchat employee fell for a phishing scam, when she believed an email had been sent by her company’s CEO. The information was then leaked to an outside world. While security solutions will do their best to identify suspicious emails, the employees of the organization provide the best layer of security and must be sufficiently trained to always verify every email’s credentials before providing any kind of information asked for.
4. Device control
Nowadays, many organizations allow employees to bring their own devices. While this could allow for employee satisfaction, greater productivity and cost savings, it also represents a significant security risk. There could be data leakage as employees transfer company data to their personal accounts or store it in public cloud services. Devices can also be lost leading to catastrophic consequences for the organization along with allowing employees to access restricted content. Organizations must try and make BYOD secure.
5. Compliance requirements
Compliance is one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations in 2018. With customer expectations increasing exponentially, companies are innovating more and more but this approach can also leave them vulnerable to security risks. Businesses need to abide by regulatory guidelines as compliance requirements will evolve with technological innovations. The cost and repercussions of not complying with guidelines is huge. Organizations must follow regulations such as the Health Industry Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) closely.
6. Incident Response Plan
The security landscape is ever evolving and security threats can sometimes bypass the solutions. If IT administrators do not plan for that possibility, the organization could be caught and out and affected if an incident of a similar nature happens. That is why it is essential to have an Incident Response Plan to mitigate threats and minimize existing losses, associated with a cyber-attack.
Security solutions like Seqrite’s Endpoint Security (EPS) and Unified Threat Management (UTM) can guard against these hidden risks. EPS provides a simple and comprehensive platform with features like Anti-Ransomware, Advanced DNA Scan, Behaviour detection system to detect advanced threats. UTM offers a one-stop solution for enterprise security needs with UTM acting as a first line of defense for cyber threats.
As an IT security partner for your business, Seqrite provides comprehensive endpoint security from advanced cyber threats. To know more, visit our website or
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