Are you protected from Cyber threats?
14 September 2016
Have you ever answered "NO" to any of the following question:
- Antivirus loaded and up to date?
- All Operating System (OS), application updates and hot fixes loaded?
- Firewall active, and all internet passes through a reputable proxy?
- Anti-Spam and malware protection installed and active?
Answering "NO" to any of the above questions will definitely put any orginisation at risk of a cyber attack, but even more surprisingly these days is that even if you answer "YES" to all these questions, you data is still at risk.
The above bullet points might protect your data, but they are not 100% effective against all viruses and ransomeware. Uneducated users to the potential risks out on the web, are also putting your firm at risk.
No IT professional would like to start the day where his entire network has been encrypted (as shown above), and his users are unproductive as a result of an attack.
To assist with cyber attacks, not only should you answer "YES" to the questions above, but also ensure that:
- Regular scheduled tested backups on external media, which is NOT constantly plugged in or available over a windows file share (this could be accessed and hacked or encrypted).
- Do not use the cheapest anti-virus/anti-spam software, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is very true here.
- Consider a more expensive integrated solution from a well rated vendor, for example from the Gartner Reports OR solutions that the Fortune 500 companies use.
- Educate your users about digital threats, this has been proven to work.
Always remember that you should never rest on your morals, or beleive you have the perfect solution. Test and retest you antivirus and malware software, and ensure you stay up to date with new trends and methods hackers use to access and destroy your data and network.