Despite size and complexity, all organisations should have a cyber security strategy. Here are 10 security tips every organisation can consider and implement in their business.
1. STAFF AWARENESS OF CYBER SECURITY
In today’s digitally connected world, security awareness training is a must. Conducting security awareness training every quarter educates employees about common scams, how to avoid being hacked and reminds them of the importance of staying safe online. It is important that training materials are up to date with the ongoing evolution of technology and hacking techniques.
2. CREATE SIMPLE CYBER SECURITY POLICIES
All organisations should have cyber security policies and ensure they are distributed to employees. These policies will vary from business to business and can include rules and instructions about usage of social media, bringing your own devices (BYOD), and authentication for all employees to follow.
3. CONTROL ACCESS TO DEVICES
Every access point is a point of entry and poses an individual risk. By limiting access to each employee, depending on their roles and responsibilities, this risk can be significantly reduced. Having a clear policy about system rights and privileges ensures that employees only have access to what they require and minimises risk of threats.
4. MAKE USE OF MULTIPLE LAYERS OF PROTECTION
Implementing a password policy ensures all employees make use of strong passwords that are regularly changed, making your employees more protected from hackers and malicious software. Additionally, applications such as antivirus and VPN will ensure the networks and endpoint are safe from attacks.
5. ALL SOFTWARE MUST BE UP TO DATE
Outdated devices are often the source of weak protection and easy prey for hackers. They are often patches updates or version updates and the employees must be aware not to ignore those updates. The company should have clear guidelines about software updates and make sure everyone follows them by sending regular communications.
6. HAVE A RISK ASSESSMENT REGULARLY
Conducting regular risk assessments is healthy and allows organisations to identify points of vulnerability. Once the risk assessment is complete, organisations should try to address vulnerabilities to minimise any risks. This will enable both the employees and the employer to be safe in case of an emergency.
7. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY TO EMPLOYEES
Having a standard company template for important emails and clearly labelling them as “Important” or “Urgent” helps ensure all employees do not miss out on information. All incidents should be communicated immediately with as “Urgent” as well as indicating if it is public, internal, commercial, or restricted, so it doesn’t bridge confidentiality.
8. HAVE AN INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN
Along with the risk assessment, there must be a clear incident response plan. The incident response plan allows employees to follow guidelines and prevent further incidents or losses to the company. Have a risk register of all the risks the company could face and some proposed solutions from cyber security experts, will allow employees to use them as guidelines when an incident occurs.
9. SECURE ONLINE PAYMENTS
Organisations are often scammed with false invoices to make payments to scammers. Implementing rules such as, if a payment exceeds a certain amount, the accounts team calls to authenticate it, helps protect organisations from this time of scam.
10. CONDUCT CYBER SECURITY SIMULATIONS
Conducting cyber security simulations will enable employees to be on guard for any incidents. Ensuring they are unique to the employee’s jobs ensures they can implement their learnings from the simulation. If an employee fails the simulation, conducting additional awareness sessions will allow them to gain further knowledge that helps them keep themselves and the organisation safe in the future.