The virtual world requires a very different kind of protection to the physical, but in this day and age, cybercrime is the one of the biggest threats to modern businessenes and people.
Cybercrime can take a number of forms, from phishing and investment fraud to ID theft and blackmail. As such, it’s imperative you get properly protected. Most crucially, do not get caught out on the basics; make sure that you have high-quality and up-to-date cyber security in the form of essential measures ranging from managed SOC services, device encryption, data backup, and a patch management system to content filtering, two-factor authentication, anti-malware software, and a spam filter.
Whether you’re travelling away from home, are using your computer to work or take part in online classes, you should definitely invest in proper cyber security measures that will help keep your data safe from malicious actors. Educate yourself on the ways in which you can protect your data with these, our top 10 essential cyber security measures.
MANAGED SOC SERVICES (SOCaas)
When it comes to cyber security, you need to invest in an effective managed SOC service that will help you proactively monitor, respond to and mitigate cyber threats.
Computerweekly.com explains that “Essentially, the term SOCaaS refers to a type of managed security service (MSS) that is cloud-based, built on a multi-tenant software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, and goes beyond the managed security service (MSS) offerings of traditional managed security service providers (MSSPs)”.
However, it should be noted that it is not enough for you to have a managed SOC service, as the cyber security experts at Sapphire.net tell us. You should also do your best to find a trained and certified SOC analyst that will be able to detect and help deal with the threats that are targeting your company or organization.
Read: 5 IDEAL cyber security tips for travellers
DEVICE ENCRYPTION
Another important step that you should take when it comes to cyber security is to encrypt all the devices that are in use at your company or organization. To do that, simply ask your IT department to configure your devices in a way that will allow them to automatically start encrypting your data as soon as the device is shut down and restarted.
If possible, you should also make sure that the encryption key is never stored on the hard drive of your device or on a USB stick, but rather, physically separate from the storage or infrastructure provider. This is one of the most essential and proper cyber security measures your company take.
DATA BACKUP
Since one of the primary concerns when it comes to cyber security is the protection of valuable data. It goes without saying that you should invest in proper data backup. During your backup process, make sure that you pick a cloud storage provider that uses end-to-end encryption and features robust 256-bit AES encryption.
In addition to cloud storage, consider implementing RAID 10 (a combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0) for your on-premises data storage. RAID 10 offers both redundancy and improved performance by mirroring your data across multiple disks and striping it, ensuring that your data remains safe and accessible even if a drive fails. This dual approach of cloud backup and RAID 10 can significantly enhance your data protection strategy.
PATCH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
While it is true that you will need to install various patches in order to keep your software up-to-date, you should also make sure that you have a reliable patch management system in place. By using this system, you will be able to determine which patches are relevant and which ones aren’t. You can then schedule their installation whenever necessary.
CONTENT FILTERING
Many malicious actors use email as a means of spreading malware and phishing attacks, so if there is one way in which you can protect yourself from such threats, then it would be by investing in an effective content filtering service. This solution will allow you to block unwanted emails, avoid malware infections, and prevent phishing attacks.
TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
Another thing that you should definitely look into is two-factor authentication. In other words, you should implement a two-factor authentication system that will help verify users’ identities when they try to access your systems or applications. As a result, if someone tries to hack into your network or tamper with your data, he or she won’t be able to do so unless he or she has physical access to your mobile device.
Read: 6 IDEAL steps to better protecting your business
ANTI-MALWARE SOFTWARE
If you want to protect yourself from various types of malware (including ransomware), then there is no better option than investing in an anti-malware software solution.
It is crucial for this software to be updated every time a new threat appears on the market, as well as for it to be constantly observed by experts who know what IT network monitoring is. That being said, make sure that you don’t rely on just one solution because if your anti-malware software fails, then there might be even more problems looming ahead of you!
SPAM FILTER
Make sure that you implement a spam filter both on your email server and on your email clients (such as Outlook). By doing so, you will block most of the spam messages before they even reach your inbox; however, leave some room for legitimate emails as well!
CLOUD SECURITY
You should make sure that the data you store in the cloud is protected. Ideally, you should invest in a cloud security solution that will help you detect and block threats before they cause any harm.
DATA LOSS PREVENTION (DLP)
Last but not least, you should also consider investing in a DLP solution that can help you prevent data loss by blocking unwanted emails, preventing sensitive documents from leaving the company’s premises, and even stopping employees from accidentally sending sensitive information to the wrong recipients.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Cyber security is crucial in this day and age, especially if you run a business or company. So many businesses and companies have tarnished their reputations and have left many of their customers disappointed because of breaches in their personal data.