4 Tips To Keep Cybersecurity Threats To A Minimum

Do you know how to keep yourself secure against the many modern cybercrime threats active today? Check out the 4 tips below to learn what you may not already know about cyber security. 

When everything is going well, the last thing you want to do is think about what will happen when something goes wrong. 

We don’t have to dwell on the potential for a security disaster though—you know that it’s a possibility, so let’s just leave it at that. What’s important about this is that you know to cover your bases. No need to assume the worst—just plan for it, so you know you’re covered. 

The fact is that the cybercrime business has never been bigger. It’s estimated that the global cybercrime industry will cause up to $6 trillion in damages in just a few years. 

You don’t need to be told how important something like cybersecurity is—it’s obvious after all. Everyone knows the consequences of unsecured business technology. 

However, your cybersecurity may not be up to snuff. Not because you don’t think it’s important, but because you have other things on your mind. 

4 Tips To Boost Your Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is not a one-and-done solution; the threat landscape evolves at a rapid pace and frequent reviews ensure that the plan will help reduce an organization’s cyber risk profile. Follow these tips to give your cybersecurity defense a critical boost…

Protect Yourself With The Right Tech

Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe. A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination of the two.

A firewall inspects and filters incoming and outgoing data in the following ways:

• With Packet Filtering that filters incoming and outgoing data and accepts or rejects it depending on your predefined rules.
  
• Via an Application Gateway that applies security to applications like Telnet (a software program that can access remote computers and terminals over the Internet, or a TCP/IP computer network) and File Transfer Protocol Servers.
  
• By using a Circuit-Level Gateway when a connection such as a Transmission Control Protocol is made, and small pieces called packets are transported.
  
• With Proxy Servers: Proxy servers mask your true network address and capture every message that enters or leaves your network.
  
• Using Stateful Inspection or Dynamic Packet Filtering to compare a packet’s critical data parts. These are compared to a trusted information database to decide if the information is authorized.

Manage Stronger Passwords

It's common that passwords are required to include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It’s up to you to ensure it’s as complex as possible. Consider using a passphrase—which is when you combine multiple words into one long string of characters—instead of a password. The extra length of a passphrase makes it harder to crack, while also avoiding common, dangerous patterns like “abc..” or “123…”.

The bottom line is that passwords remain a go-to tool for protecting your data, applications, and workstations. They also remain a common cyber security weakness because of the careless way employees go about trying to remember their login information. Weak passwords are easy to compromise, and if that's all that stands between your data in the cloud and in applications, you could be at serious risk for a catastrophic breach.

Unfortunately, many users often opt for a weak password that’s easy to remember, rather than a strong one they’ll forget.The good news is that there is a way to get the best of both worlds. One of the best ways to maintain complex passwords is with a password manager. Password managers are the key to keeping your passwords secure.

A password manager generates, keeps track of and retrieves complex and long passwords for you to protect your vital online information. It also remembers your PINS, credit card numbers and three-digit CVV codes if you choose this option.

Plus, it provides answers to security questions for you. All of this is done with strong encryption that makes it difficult for hackers to decipher. Password managers like Bitlocker offer a range of useful features:

• This manager creates long, randomized passwords that protect against hacking
  
• It will sync your passwords with all of your devices, including your smartphone
  
• This will save you time when shopping online by completing forms with my address and phone number
  
•  It also provides two-factor authentication using your mobile device
  
• Storage for unlimited logins
  
• Automatic form completion
  
• Biometrics (finger and thumb print reading) for access
  

Keep Your Tech Patched And Up To Date

Did you know that one of the most common ways that cybercriminals get into a network is through loopholes in popular software, applications, and programs?

Despite how advanced modern software is, it is still designed by humans, and the fact is that humans make mistakes. Due to this, much of the software you rely on to get work done every day could have flaws (or "exploits") that leave you vulnerable to security breaches. 

Many of the most common malware and viruses used by cybercriminals today are based on exploiting those programming flaws; to address this, developers regularly release software patches and updates to fix those flaws and protect the users.

This is why it's imperative that you keep your applications and systems up to date. Unfortunately, most users find updates to be tedious and time-consuming and often opt to just click "Remind Me Later" instead of sitting through an often-inconvenient update process. 

Comprehensive and regular patch management is a crucial part of proper IT security. Some of the worst data breaches are based on "zero-day exploits", which are based on exploits found by hackers but not by the developers, leading to severe security risks and an immediate need for patching. 

Use 2FA

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) requires the user to utilize two methods to confirm that they are the rightful account owner. With a 2FA solution, a hacker needs more than just the username and password to access an account, making it much more secure.

Here’s how it works:

1. User logs into the session with primary credentials.
2. The session host validates credentials.
3. Then, it sends credential validation to the cloud via the login app.
4. The 2FA client sends its secondary authentication to the user. User approves.
5. The 2FA client sends approval back to the session host via the login app.
6. The user accesses their session very securely. 

The protection that 2FA adds allows you to use your passwords for a longer length of time between password resets, and in the event that your service provider is compromised and your email and password end up in an open database on the open web, you will have time to change your password before your individual account is compromised.

Need Expert Cybersecurity Guidance?

Don’t let basic cybersecurity put you at risk, and don’t assume you have to handle advanced cybersecurity all on your own—Integral networks can help you assess your cybersecurity and develop a plan to enhance it. 

You can start improving your cybersecurity by getting in touch with our team.