If you’re an avid follower of news, you’ve probably already noticed how cyberattacks against some of the most well-known companies in the world have increased. The fact that out of all the cyber crimes that occur, only a handful get the media coverage they deserve is further alarming.
According to cybersecurity experts, most of the cyberattacks that don’t make it to mainstream media occur against small businesses. This is usually because small businesses often focus most of their capital on product production, promotion, and marketing activities and don’t stress enough on cybersecurity.
This makes small businesses an easy target for hackers and other cybercriminals. One of the best things a small business can do to boost their cybersecurity without putting in a huge investment is to buy VPN.
In addition to that, there are also a handful of different ways small businesses can protect against ransomware and other cyberattacks.
Teach your employees the basics of cybersecurity
As the pandemic took over the world, most small businesses shifted to a remote-working lifestyle to help slow down the spread of the virus. Even though it was a revolutionary step in the work culture going through its next phase of evolution, the new system came with several cybersecurity risks.
According to Malwarebytes, around 20% of all security breaches in 2020 happened after businesses shifted to remote work. This boils down to the fact that most employees aren’t aware of cybersecurity, what risks are posed and how to avert them.
Businesses could considerably lower the risk of being victim to ransomware and other cybercrimes if they could teach their employees the best cybersecurity practices.
Use complex passwords
Simple passwords are easy to hack into, which is why you or your employees should not be using easily guessable passwords like birthdays, full names, countries, or other personally identifiable information.
Complex passwords are harder to crack. More than 10 characters in length contain lower- and upper-case letters, random numbers, and special characters. This variation makes them almost impossible to guess.
Since complex passwords are also hard to create and remember, a good idea would be to use a password generator and password manager. Most times, you’ll be able to find both the tools offered by the same company.
Another good password practice is to ensure that you’re changing the passwords to all accessible business files and accounts regularly, and your employees doing the same could further strengthen your business.
Make sure all your software is updated at all times
Software companies regularly release updates and security patches to resolve existing or new issues, bugs, and security loopholes.
Cybercriminals and hackers often exploit these bugs and loopholes to hack into and gain access to critical business information.
This is why it is vital to make sure that all the software and apps you are using are up to date at all times. The updates enhance the security around your software and systems, improve these software programs’ functioning, and make business operations easier for you.
Create data backups
Ransomware attacks generally lock up your data and ask for a ransom to let you reaccess it. To avoid falling into this trap and losing all your precious money, create regular secure backups for your data and store them on a separate secure computer or drive.
This backup could include your databases, financial information, confidential client information, and essential spreadsheets. You also have the option to set up automatic backups or do it manually at regular intervals.
Why we recommend VPNs
Even though all these methods work, the best and most complete way to upgrade cybersecurity around your systems is to buy VPN. These tools connect users to the internet through intermediate remote and secure servers.
This process also hides the user’s original IP address, making them virtually anonymous online. Furthermore, VPNs also encrypt users’ traffic by enclosing them in code. Even if a hacker or a cybercriminal does manage to break in, they can’t make out what information is being exchanged.
And there you have it; these are the top ways to secure your small business against ransomware and other cyberattacks. If you want us to write about similar topics, let us know in the comments!
