The increasing number of cyberattacks on businesses is a serious matter of concern. Almost every industry, niche, and sector has been affected to some extent, and sometimes, it almost feels that hackers are invincible. The truth is – They are not. All it takes for a company to prevent security breaches and hacks is collaborative effort across the organization. This is the gist of cybersecurity culture.
What is cybersecurity culture?
Everyone within the organization, who has access to networks, networked devices, servers, and data, has a role to play in cybersecurity. Unless there is coordination and collaboration across all levels, it is impossible to thaw attempts to breach or hack into devices and systems. Sometimes, hackers use simple malware programs to encrypt a system, called ransomware, while in other cases, they are probably spying on employee activities. The purpose of cybersecurity culture is to get everyone involved. The idea is to bring awareness and practice all the right steps, so that the business is safe and secure.
What measures can be taken?
Certain cybersecurity practices apply to all kinds of organizations. Here are a few of them –
- Get cybersecurity experts to train your employees. They need to know about malware types, cybersecurity threats, and how hackers try to attack businesses, so that they are more aware.
- Encourage use of password managers. Many employees probably handle a dozen of passwords, and it’s rather impractical to expect them to remember everything. You have to recommend a password management tool that’s safe.
- Ask employees to create strong passwords. Hackers often use backdoor entry to gain unauthorized access into systems, and to avoid that, strong passwords are a must. Recommend the right ideas, like use of special characters.
- Ask to report incidents. Having an incident response plan is critical for your cybersecurity policy. Always encourage teams to work together, and in case there has been a breach, an unintentional error, ask them to report.
- Focus on conducting workshops. Cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, so conducting workshops once in a while can help your employees and motivate them towards the cybersecurity culture.
Finally, stay alert. The only approach to cybersecurity must be a proactive one, where the idea is to stay a couple of steps ahead of hackers and cybercriminals. Simple steps like placing networked devices, and other devices such as IP cameras, behind firewalls can go a long way in preventing hacking attempts.