What the Latest IT News Can Teach You About Cybersecurity

In recent IT news, you may have read about the SolarWinds cybersecurity attack. Reports say that hackers broke into the Texas-based SolarWind’s network in early 2020 and installed malicious code in the company’s software framework. The “Orion” framework is commonly used by businesses to control IT resources. According to SEC documents, Solarwinds has 33,000 customers who use Orion.

Whether it’s to patch a bug or add new functionality, most tech providers send out updates on a regular basis. SolarWinds is no different. SolarWinds inadvertently sent out software updates to its customers containing the stolen code as early as March 2020. The code provided a backdoor into customers’ IT systems, which hackers then used to install more malware that allowed them to spy on businesses and large corporations.

Up to 18,000 of SolarWinds’ customers installed updates that made them vulnerable to attacks, according to the SEC. The breach could be huge because SolarWinds has many high-profile customers, including Fortune 500 firms and several US government agencies. In a congressional hearing in February, Microsoft president Brad Smith claimed that non government organisations made up more than 80% of the victims. Microsoft were also victims of a cybersecurity attack around the same time. Security experts believe that because the attack was done so subtly and went undetected for months, some victims will never know whether they were hacked or not.

How the latest IT news can teach you about cybersecurity

As a business, you want your company’s information to remain secure. It’s very likely that not only are there confidential details about your company stored on your systems, but you may also hold onto sensitive information about your customers such as their card details and home addresses. When this information is leaked, it may result in a significant loss of revenue for your business. It may also damage the company’s credibility, as potential customers will be hesitant to share details with you and may be reluctant to work with you.

As IT news has proven, companies should take effective measures to safeguard sensitive information and trade secrets by outlining the ramifications of a violation and engaging staff in a discussion about the risks. Here are several strategies for dealing with data leaks:

Migrate data to a secure cloud platform and invest in cloud cybersecurity services

Backing up your data on a secure cloud platform and spending that little bit extra on cloud cybersecurity can make the world of difference. Any breach that’s detected by the system will notify you and allow you to check it out before any sensitive or confidential information is compromised. This will also save on downtime if your website is attacked and taken offline.

Even big businesses can get hacked. Never assume you’re 100% protected.

No matter how big or small your business is, never assume you’re safe from cyber attacks. If you look at IT news, you’ll see that both large and small companies are vulnerable. While certain businesses may have more information that hackers can use, your business could fall victim to cyber attacks, and putting more effort and expense into your cybersecurity can help prevent that from ever happening. This IT company in Oxnard proactively manages technology for all different kinds of businesses and will provide you with the security and support you need to keep your business information safe.

React quickly to breaches, even if you’re not sure if you’ve been hacked.

Spending more on cybersecurity for your businesses will alert you to any kind of breach to the system. It could be something as simple as too many failed login attempts by a member of your team, but it will allow you to react quickly to these breaches and resolve any issues that may be at hand. Some cybersecurity systems don’t offer this feature and therefore business owners don’t realize immediately when there might be a data breach.

Here are some other things you can do to increase your cybersecurity

Establish Legal Compliance

Add a clause into employee’s contracts to ensure they are legally obliged to not share confidential data of the business.

Encrypt Sensitive Emails

Establish email access protocols to specify which recipients have access to specific emails, preventing confidential data from reaching an unwanted audience.

Invest in Proper Training (and stay updated on IT news)

Data leaks can occur on purpose, by accident, or by mistake, and across a variety of channels, so it’s important to educate your staff on how to handle sensitive information properly, including how they can prevent hackers accessing their devices.

Control Access

It is important to have proper safeguards in place for any digitally stored information, such as passwords, firewalls, and encryption, to ensure who can access what information.