[BreachExchange] 4 Security Threats Where Prevention Is The Key

[Audrey McNeil]

http://www.techshout.com/internet/2016/19/4-security-threats-prevention-key/

Proper network security is a safeguard against apocalyptic business
tragedy. Think of it as insurance against your waking up one day to
discover that your company is collapsing. You can prevent the worst case
scenarios simply by taking a few preventive steps. Here are four security
threats where prevention is key.

Prevent Ransomware

Imagine running a business where your clients or mere strangers off the
streets could sell your items back to you. Even worse, you have no
negotiating leverage and must pay whatever they ask. That’s effectively how
ransomware works. A computer hacker infects your critical data with
malware. If you don’t pay their ransom fee, they destroy your data, thereby
erasing your company’s ability to function.

Ransomware is a scary threat. Even worse, the FBI reports that instances of
ransomware are on the rise. Server backups are one of the best security
practices you can use to prevent ransomware. Backups that perform
versioning automatically save older, working versions of your files. Rather
than pay ransomware, you can simply roll back your files to the time prior
to infection.

Delete Your Hard Drives

Even if your company now employs cloud storage, you still have hard drives
in every laptop and desktop computer. Each time you upgrade and discard one
of these devices, you’re creating a security breach. Some shady people
troll sanitation dumps. Their primary goal is to unearth hard drives that
store vital information about large companies. They can restore these
drives to working order and gain access to your data.

This is a glaring security hole that’s easy to prevent. Get in the habit of
shredding every hard drive your company is ready to discard. The way to do
this is by preventing the drive platters from spinning. Train a member of
your staff to disassemble a hard drive. They’ll gain responsibility for
this task, and you’ll vastly improve the security of your data.

Use Strong Passwords and Security

The infamous Sony hack cost the company millions of dollars and led to a
maelstrom of negative publicity. The worst part of this corporate disaster
was that it was preventable. Sony’s IT staff acted negligently in
modernizing their system. Employees accessed the corporate servers by using
text character passwords. That’s the technology of 1995 rather than today.

What you can learn from Sony’s misfortune is that security requires
diligence. You must allow for emerging technologies, always maintaining the
focus on optimal security. If a new system better protects the passwords of
your employees, switch to it rather than languishing under an outdated,
less secure system.

Don’t Outsource

Sending business to outside companies, especially ones in foreign countries
where the dollar is stronger, seems appealing. It’s actually a huge data
risk. You don’t know the qualifications of IT professionals that you don’t
interview yourself. They could provide flawed systems that are easy to
breach. Alternately, they could introduce backdoors into your servers,
selling these security holes to the highest bidder. You might save money in
the short-term by outsourcing, but it could cost you more overall.

The key to proper network security is understanding your weaknesses.
Evaluate your company in the four areas above. If you any of them worries
you, take the proper steps now to prevent future disaster.
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