With almost 62% of the workforce, working remotely now, and a substantial increase in cybercrimes, Cybersecurity is now the most important concern for all organisations. 93% of the companies in Europe have made changes to the cybersecurity policies to support remote working. (CISCO, 2020)
This will automatically result in increased investments in cybersecurity. The UK Government has published a Cyber Security Guidance. Here you can find latest information on Cyber Security Risk assessment, vulnerability, and the guidance to mitigate the risks.
There is not a single solution that can resolve the problem of cybercrime. The organisations have to put up a hybrid approach to reduce the risk. Start with firewalls and internet gateways as these will establish network perimeter defence. These will block access to known malicious domains and executable downloads. These firewalls also stop direct communication with the internet and help in reducing the risk.
All computers should have malware protection software in place to detect and defend from a known attack code. Always keep all drivers and installed applications updated to prevent attacks which exploit known software bugs.
Be careful with .exe files and unknown software with ability to run or install itself, including Autorun on USB and CD drives. Configure your systems to restrict the functionality and keep it minimum needed for the business to function. secure configuration – restrict the functionality of every device, operating system and application to the minimum needed for business to function.
All passwords to be kept secured with different passwords for different applications. User access control also plays a very important part in cyber threat prevention. Above all, the workforce should be trained and kept aware of the latest cyber threats and the best practices while using the internet. Most of the cybercrimes occur due to a mistake by one of the workers.
Cyber hacking can be prevented to a great extent if the employees are aware of the basics of cyberattacks. Cybercriminals launch thousands of attacks to compromise your operations at every turn. This can be through emails, shared documents, and .exe files. If all the employees are trained properly and are aware of the ways the cyberattacks are carried, the organizations will become less vulnerable.
Organizations should put protocols in place and continuously monitor the activities that can lead to cybercrimes.
And how are you protecting yourself and your organisation? Please share your comments.
