Businesses of all sizes should take note of the news of the recent hacking attacks against Target and, most recently, Nieman Marcus.
These two add their names to a growing list of businesses that have recently had security breaches, which also includes Snapchat, Skype, and Yahoo! Smaller businesses reported several unwanted intrusions.
A hacking attack can have a terrible bodily effect. Malware, for example, can infect a desktop computer and divulge the administrator passwords. The website, web server, and other network resources could then be accessed using it.
The recent hacking attacks against Target and, most recently, Nieman Marcus serve as a serious wake-up call for companies of all kinds.
These two add their names to a growing list of businesses that have experienced security breaches recently, including Yahoo!, Snapchat, and Skype, to mention a few. Numerous smaller businesses also reported unauthorized breaches.
An attack by hackers may have devastating physical effects. For example, malware can infect a desktop computer and expose the administrator password. After that, it could be used to access the website, web server, and other network resources.
Some customers will stop trusting the company as a result of media coverage of the incident. Visitors will avoid websites that have been flagged as containing spam or dangerous content.
While no system is impenetrable, small, medium, and sized businesses can take a number of precautions to significantly lower their risk of an outside breach.
Firewalls should be appropriately configured by a business. Any invader could use a firewall that is improperly configured as an open door. Setting the firewall’s rules so that only traffic required for company activities can pass through is crucial.
Installing and updating antivirus software should be done frequently. Even daily updates are required for antivirus software and intrusion detection systems. To identify even the most recent viral threat, these updates are essential.
Companies should run penetration and attack tests. By doing these tests, you can find network weak points that both internal and external users can readily access. Once you’ve identified them, you can stop external attacks and avoid mistakes that could be used as entry sites by intruders.
Additionally, the many default, test, and example web server software programs and pages should be deleted. They can be an easy target for an attack. Since they are the same across numerous systems, the cracking process is simple to replicate.
Businesses should improve their physical security as well. It is necessary to lessen or completely prevent the likelihood of an intruder breaking into their office to obtain whatever information they desire. These physical security measures ought to be effective and fully operational.
Campaigns to raise user awareness are also strongly advised. All reasonable measures must be done to educate network users about security risks and the appropriate security procedures to reduce these risks. Protection cannot be carried out in the proper sense of the word until all users are aware of specific network-related variables.
The Target incident shows that almost all companies could be subject to a cyber attack. Nevertheless, taking a number of preventative measures will diminish the likelihood of a security breach and lower the likelihood that your information would be compromised.
