CyberSecurity Tips for the New Year

It’s 2019 – if your organization still doesn’t have a proactive cybersecurity strategy in place, it’s safe to say you’re behind the curve. 

Cyber crime is an evolving area that is constantly producing threats that can have incredibly damaging effects.  Taking a proactive approach to battling these threats can thwart possible disasters and make your organization run safe, effective and successful operations on a day to day basis. 

If your institution is one of those who are lagging in your cyber security operations, make 2019 the year you turn things around.  Here are 5 things you can do in the New Year to strengthen your company’s security:

Prepare for a Potential Incident

You never know when a potential security incident will affect your organization.  That is why the best time to start preparing for it is now.  Ensure your institution has an incident response plan in place and have annual walkthrough’s to review the plan.  This will help you remedy actual disasters when and if they arise

Identify Blind Spots

Take an inventory of your systems and understand the data you have and where it goes. When you start to understand what your environment look like, including areas you can’t see like partners or third parties, you’ll learn where you lack visibility and what you can do to improve your environment

Train your Employees

Users in an organizations are attacked frequently by things like email phishing attacks.  Prepare your employees by providing them proper training to avoid falling victim to these, and many more types of attacks.

Fix Vulnerabilities

Every outdated security policy, program, App – they put your organization at risk. By not fixing these problems, you reduce safety and efficiency. Find outdates process, policies, software or any other security threats, and patch them immediately to ensure your workplace stays safe from cyber security threats

Encrypt and Authenticate

Consider using Two-Factor Authentication and Encryption.

By using Two-Factor Authentication, you improve security by adding an additional layer of security when employees are required to log in to something

Another effective way to protect your data is by encrypting it.  Use technologies that will encrypt your data and the communications your systems have between each other.

Story via Tripwire