7 Tips for Protecting Your Brand Against Cyberattacks

Even with cybersecurity, your company isn't necessarily safe

The price of falling victim to cybercrime is much costlier than simply losing data. Cyberattacks can permanently tarnish a company’s reputation. Take the Target breach, for example. Last year, Target agreed to an $18.5 million multistate settlement from a 2013 incident when hackers gained access to over 40 million customers’ credit card information, marking this as the largest data breach in history.

The effects of a cyberattack can be devastating, but many businesses operate under the assumption that they are immune to attack. Although most enterprises implement some form of cybersecurity protection, they remain vulnerable if it is not properly managed and maintained. With so much information being stored online, in the cloud and on mobile devices, it is time to make security everyone’s priority. Cybercriminals hide behind the elusive exterior of ads and apps. They use malware and ransomware to exploit their victim’s vulnerabilities and attack their networks.

How many network intrusions or data hacks do we keep hearing about, and how much damage does each incident cause to individuals and corporations worldwide?

When it comes to protecting a brand’s reputation, extensive measures should be taken to keep the enterprise’s data private and secure. So, what is the best way to protect your organization’s network from online threats? Following a few guidelines can go a long way.

Employ mobile threat prevention

Mobile threats are increasing in quantity and sophistication, resulting in higher than ever infection rates. Mobile technology has made the network security challenge much bigger and more complex. Organizations must secure mobile devices with immediate threat removal and real-time intelligence that extends to existing security and mobile infrastructures. 

Don’t assume your data is automatically protected

Although most enterprises implement some form of cybersecurity protection, they remain vulnerable if it is not properly managed and maintained.

While dealing with the cloud, it is crucial to understand where the balance of responsibility lies between protecting the cloud infrastructure (incumbent upon the cloud provider) and protecting the data that resides in the cloud (incumbent upon the customer). When data is placed on the cloud, the responsibility to ensure that information is secure remains with the data owner. Cloud services are just like any other IT component, which must be managed and secured using policies. Furthermore, go back to basics and simply have a strong password. 

Always be aware of cyberattacks 

It is critical that all users remain aware and educated about online threats. Users should always beware of malicious apps, even if downloading from Google Play. Look for the comments left by other users, and only grant permission to information relevant to the apps’ purpose. Also, remain aware of malicious advertisements; do not download anything unless you are certain it is coming from a trusted source.

In the last decade, the impact and extent of cyberattacks have skyrocketed, and no matter the magnitude of the company, one cyberattack can destroy consumer trust overnight. Security needs to be the top concern for businesses today. The growth and popularity of online networks, cloud and mobile devices continues to push more data beyond traditional IT security protections. Businesses must adopt new methods to secure information with a focus on prevention, not detection.

Encountering a cyberattack is probably inevitable, but adopting a proactive security posture will protect your network from damage if an attack happens. It’s in every business’ interest to invest in a 360-degree cybersecurity infrastructure that is equipped to take on today’s fifth-generation cyberattacks.

Understand your current infrastructure

Know the crown jewels and risk of your infrastructure, as well as its access points. Be mindful of what kind of information is stored in your system—and how much. Whether you’re an enterprise or SMB, any infrastructure that handles financial information such as credit card info can also be at risk.

Assume you have already been breached

It’s true that only the paranoid survive, but it’s a good idea to examine internal traffic within your company for lateral moving infections and segment your network. Even the adware inside your network can download a payload as a service offer and start ransoming your network.

Think beyond hackers

Keep in mind that inadvertent compromises can come from within the company. Details such as human error, faulty backups, encryption and social engineering are often overlooked when trying to protect the infrastructure. But these details can be just as dangerous as hackers themselves.

Examine the landscape

It’s crucial to check on the security of governing factors such as user authentication and provisioning, administrator access, infrastructure data protection and continuity of operations. All it takes is one vulnerability among these details that results in something more catastrophic for your brand.

It’s important for businesses to educate themselves when it comes to the multiple harms that a cyberattack can bring to a brand. With deep knowledge about your company’s own infrastructure, businesses can be better equipped to deploy the best cybersecurity solutions possible, not just to detect an attack but to prevent one as well.