As a small business owner, you have many things to manage – investments, operations, employee retention, customer engagement, marketing and much more. There is also one more aspect that requires a hands-on approach – cybersecurity. Small businesses are at a greater risk of being attacked by cybercriminals, because they don’t spend enough on cybersecurity, and more importantly, they don’t chase the incident like big brands, although the consequences are almost similar. Malware remains one of the serious cybersecurity threats for small businesses, and in this post, we are sharing a guide on preventing malware attacks.
- Check for outdated software. Many networked devices often have outdated legacy software that are not in use or required anymore. Consider removing such software, as soon as possible.
- Update firmware & software. All firmware, including for IP cameras, and software, must be updated for the latest version. Make sure that your employees follow the same rule when it comes to their own devices being used for work.
- Invest in anti-virus and anti-spyware software. There is no denying that software comes in handy for generating alarms and preventing malware attacks. There is no assured way of avoiding malware, so precautionary steps go a long way.
- Strong passwords are a must. A strong password is always long, complex, and must include special characters, uppercase, & lowercase numbers. If your employees are not sure of what it takes to do the same, hire security experts to train them.
- Recommend password managers. While it is okay to save password on a secure document, the best bet is eventually a password manager, which is considered to be a low-risk tool, and there are a wide range of options.
- Focus on access rights. Make sure that only right people have access to right resources. Often, networked assets and devices are managed by users, who don’t need access to them, and this can lead to a potential malware attack.
- Don’t miss on email protection. Most of the times, malware programs are downloaded, and this happens because employees don’t really take emails, sites, links, and attachments seriously. Ensure that only trusted files top employee scheduling software are downloaded, and in case a wrong file has been downloaded, make it mandatory to report the same..
Finally, consider hiring a team of cybersecurity experts, who will guide your company further on how to prevent malware attacks and have a strong policy in place, both for customers and employees.