- The Reality of Cybersecurity in the Workplace
- Top Cybersecurity Best Practices for Employees
- Practicing Safe Internet Habits
- Protect Your Business’s Data with Stefanini’s Cybersecurity Solutions
In the workplace, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Hybrid work models that enable employees to work both from home or the office have transformed the workplace experience, but this has also blurred the line between work and home life, changing how and when employees access company information. As cybersecurity crimes continue to increase, it is vital that both employees and employers are prepared to prevent and to respond to security risks. Read on to learn about some of the top workplace cybersecurity tips for 2022.
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The Reality of Cybersecurity in the Workplace
Avoiding data breach and making employees feel safe. A few years ago, cybersecurity concerns were limited to the effectiveness of desktop antivirus software that often slowed performance to a halt. In the present climate, any device from a desktop to a smart phone represents a vulnerability.
Cybercrime has climbed to the 2nd most reported economic crime affecting 32% of organizations, and according to Varonis, hacker attack somewhere in the world every 39 seconds with the average cost of a breach being $3.92 million. More than 90% of small and midsize enterprises reported a cyber-attack that had a severe impact on their business.
As cyber security attacks become more and more common and as employees begin using multiple desktop and mobile devices and other company resources more often, the amount of vulnerabilities increases as well. Companies must rethink data security practices for the hybrid workplace. Because of the variety of potential cyber threats, many companies are leveraging outside expertise, working with contractors who test vulnerabilities and company readiness to respond to breaches.
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Navigating Cybersecurity Risks in Workplace.
- Data Privacy and Data Breaches: Companies often store personal data from their employees, which when acquired is often bought and sold amongst black hat hackers. This information can then be leveraged against a person and their employer. Recognizing an employee’s personal vulnerabilities can help the company avoid breaches. Making security procedures a regular topic of discussion helps protect employees, keeping them informed and safe.
- Security Measures for All Devices: Along with hybrid models, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are becoming more common. BYOD can be a good thing for companies but both users and the company IT department need to take the same steps for preexisting company devices to keep data secure, including passwords and policies.
- Recognizing Suspicious Messages: Phishing is a common form of attack where emails or messages are sent from presumably reputable sources. This is most notable in email, but can involve any suspicious message that asks you to use an unfamiliar link or provide personal information. Communication is key. If you are uncertain if a message is actually from the sender, check with that person directly through existing corporate communication channels.
- Increased Ransomware Attacks: A ransomware attack is a form of malware attack in which an attacker seizes the user’s data, folders, or entire device until a ‘ransom’ fee is paid. The rate of these attacks has decreased from 51% in 2020 to 37% of business being hit by some form of ransomware in 2021, but the size of the companies and the scale of the attacks has changed as well. Reportedly, 57% of companies recovered their data using cloud backups, but with the average cost for business to recover from these attacks is $1.85 million avoiding these attacks is ideal.
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Top Cybersecurity Best Practices for Employees
The core of any effective changes in security practices involves changes in overall company culture. How and when security concerns are discussed, and how employees are prepared for new security threats can make a meaningful impact on corporate defense.
Preparing employees to be more mindful of their own actions at work and at home enables them to be mindful of their responsibility to protect company data and systems.
Here are just a few tips to help employees become more mindful of their activities.
- Employee Training: The most standard way to learn more is to engage with security training. Many companies implement standardized training course to cover the basics, but these must expand to cover device management in new hybrid circumstances. Employees must be able to competently protect themselves if making use of anywhere work.
- Maintain Device Hygiene: This covers many disparate practices that culminate in a user’s IT health score. Proper device hygiene can include logging out of applications when finished, closing windows, consistent device resets, not letting others handle corporate devices, and continually updating applications. Some issues like outdated software bear more obvious security risks, but having an idea of how a device normally runs help users identity when something is amiss. A sluggish device, sudden usage of memory and otherwise can signal when a device has been compromised.
- Secure Password Management: This one may seem the most obvious, but often poor password management can lead to major breaches. Changing passwords often and choosing password that are complex, unique, and phrase driven makes it easier to remember new passwords and remain secure. Likewise, be careful where physical records of sensitive data and information are kept.
- Document Suspicious Activity: The myriad means hackers have to acquire corporate data means that recognizing a large scale predator effort can be difficult. Keeping a log of suspected cyberstalking activity and informing employers can help in recognizing when a company is at risk.
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Practicing Safe Internet Habits
In a climate where workplace environments are constantly evolving, it may seem incredibly difficult to get a handle on security and ensure that company data is safe. Understanding how vulnerabilities come to exist and how to effectively respond is key in both avoiding and recovering from cyber-attacks. Likewise, it is necessary for employees to reconsider their safety practices when using the internet as they can be target at any time. Here are some best practes for safe internet habits:
- Cautious Public Access: As anywhere work becomes a more common feature, there are many situations where employees can have private corporate communications viewed by external parties. Careful password usage, practicing webcam awareness, and limiting eavesdropping opportunities are all necessary to avoid unwitting breaches.
- Social Media Scams: In addition to email, many phishing and social engineering attacks occur on social media. Employees should not assume social sites are safe just because the interaction is personal and should continue to be mindful of how their information is exposed on social sites.
- Two Factor Authentication: Even if your company has antivirus software in place employees need to be careful when browsing the Internet or opening email, no matter what protections are in place. Many companies are instituting VPNs and two factor authentication methods to ensure that access to corporate data is secure. Still, employees must make use of those security measures for them to be effective.
What are the Top 6 best practices to avoid data breach? Click here to find out!
Protect Your Business’s Data with Stefanini’s Cybersecurity Solutions
Cybersecurity threats are becoming more common, and while many companies may believe they are protected there are common vulnerabilities that can lead to wide scale breaches and security related shutdowns. Don’t wait for the worst. Our team of experts provide offensive strategies that identify and resolve weaknesses as well as providing defensive solutions prepare for attacks when they happen.
