Information technology is indispensable for every business since consumers everywhere are now searching for products and services on the web. But for startups, investing in a quality IT system can be unattainable within the first year or so, and for that reason, they might be at risk of various IT issues, including a grave threat, which is a cybersecurity breach.
Hence, it’s highly crucial for all startups to work with a trustworthy IT Support company, whose expert services are at their disposal anytime. These companies are not just helpful in minor technical issues, but also in complicated problems that may put the reputation of your business at stake.
That said, let’s discuss the disaster waiting to happen if you forego a secure and efficient IT system.
The Severity of Cyber Threat
Former U.S. President Obama called cyber threat one of the most serious security challenges faced by their nation. From being a series of isolated incidents, cyber threat or hacking has grown into a common occurrence in Corporate America, with a plethora of business networks being attacked to expose confidential data and generate huge losses for companies.
Even big companies, including LinkedIn and Google, were once victims of hacking, so there really isn’t any reason for your business to be lax on cybersecurity. Securing your IT network should be integral to your general security measures to reduce the risk of electronic theft significantly.
How Hackers Attack Networks
Aside from cracking passwords, hackers use more devious ways to access your company website or online file storage. Below are the 7 tactics they usually employ:
- Phishing – Hackers will send out an email with an attachment or link to your employees that when opened, allows the malware planted by the hackers to infect the computers, and make its data available for illegal access.
- Drive-by-Web Download – Hackers will implant code on a company website, so that anyone who visits it will immediately be infected by malware.
- USB – On large-scale conferences, a hacker may discreetly insert an infected USB to the packets being passed around, automatically installing the malware into the computers.
- Wifi Hacking – Hackers can simply take advantage of your unsecured wifi network and use it to steal data and money.
- Stealing Credentials – Username and passwords can be stolen from third-party sites like social media since hackers know that people tend to use one of the same credentials for all of their online accounts. They may also send you a convincing email that asks you to reset your password on a certain website you use.
- Answer Security Questions – Hackers can simply research a company worker’s social media accounts to guess answers to common security questions that are asked to retrieve a password.
- Insiders – One of your own employees can be a hacker, too, and they may resort to threats to infiltrate your network.
Staying Protected from Hackers
A competent team of IT technicians should ensure that your network is protected at all times. But even you, the owner of the business, should also execute actions to maintain your company’s cybersecurity.
You and your IT team should always stay updated with the latest hacking threats. You can follow tech sites to obtain information, and start protecting your network ahead of the risks.
Make your credentials harder to guess, and limit the number of logins, password resets, and avoid sending login credentials through email, as that can be hacked as well. Expire sessions when a user has stayed idle in your website for too long.
Most of the complicated technical aspects of protecting your network can only be handled by an IT team, so they’re truly a gem to your company. Invest in security, as it will be one of your most powerful tools for success.