Cyber Security Best Practices For Small Businesses in 2022 - 8 Point Checklist

With the rising popularity of digitalization, an increasing number of businesses are moving online, hence resulted in an explosion of data. Owing to this, most companies have opted cloud-based platform, and this simplifies different business activities.

Consequently, if a company has not adopted apt cybersecurity protocols, it is a tough ask to expect a company to be successful. As per a survey, the data is increasing at an alarming rate. By 2022, the data will touch 64 zettabytes of data. Putting this into perspective, it is 60 times more than the stars in the universe. This shows us the importance of web security for small business in 2022.

The statistics further proposes that it is a question of when, rather than if you are facing a cyber-attack. No company can claim that they are safe, even the leading names such as Yahoo. If we take the instance of 2013-2014, nearly three billion Yahoo accounts got hacked.

As reported by the 2019 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 58% of cyber attack victims are small businesses.

Within the last 12 months, two-thirds of SMBs have suffered hack attacks on their websites which mostly comprised of Wordpress sites.

The average cost of a malware attack is around $3 million, which is daunting, especially for small business sites without a cyber security plan. If your site happens to be on WordPress, then you need to follow this WordPress security checklist today.

As per the statistics, small to medium businesses are more at risk of facing a cybercrime. A survey has suggested that 60% of data breaches take place in companies with at least 1000 employees. Now, the burning question is how to tackle this?

To start, it helps in building a checklist. When you have a checklist, you can be assured that you are on the right path, hence saving your valuable time & money. There is an urgent need to Modernize Security in the DevSecOps Era in 2020.

Let us have a look at the checklist for cybersecurity that can be put into use to secure your business –

1- Are your employees prepared for a cyber threat?

If your employees are not trained or lack apt knowledge about cyber-attacks, no firewall or secure protocol will assure security. Your employees should have all the knowledge of every security checkpoint, technologies, and required policies.
Most of the common cyber-crimes are in the form of malware and phishing. It is designed in a way that it can easily trick you in numerous ways; that said, preventing them is also not a cumbersome task.

For phishing, you need to have an eye of an expert to make out any potential threat; they are generally in the form of spammy links. This is where having apt training and knowledge plays a leading role, and your employees should have the right expertise to detect phishing attacks.

On the other hand, cybercriminals are also getting smarter, and they know every technique in the book to lure the employees into a trap.

It can be easily checked; all you need is to give your employees phishing prevention training. These training sessions can be given every six months, or they can also be provided at the time of joining. This is how they can save themselves from becoming a victim of cybercriminals.

2- Is your data stored in a safe location

The place where your data is stored bears great significance i.e., it has to be a safe location. It does not matter whether your business is hosted on a cloud platform synced with an offline center or a small network; you have to ensure that it is aptly protected. Just keep in mind that there is no room for error whatsoever.

Besides, having apt security measures for the data center, physical security should not be overlooked at any cost. Having power backup service for the data centers is a must. The next important thing is providing apt physical protection to your hardware. Gone are the days for biometrics and door locks as they are not considered safe anymore.

Well, you can think of your data center as a nucleus in a human cell that requires the utmost protection. When you are deciding on the security, the center should not be overlooked at any cost. Data is considered as one of the critical assets and essential resource in the world. You should be ready to go that extra mile to protect your data.

3-Are you checking your system frequently?

As the famous saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. If you have a bigger network, the odds of vulnerabilities are even more. Consequently, you have to be extra cautious when it comes to safeguarding your system.
Irrespective of your business, the security checkpoints, and protocol stay the same. Things like wi-fi, telephones, smartphones, laptops, personal computers increase your liability, but on the negative side, it exposes you to the cyber threats as well.

If you have outdated computers, simple passwords, and unsecured wi-fi are some of the weak links, and you should be careful about them. You can adopt a full vulnerability scan to ensure the utmost safety from the potential hazards. But this is just the beginning.

The moment you have made yourself familiar with the loopholes, make sure you have fixed them in such a way that it protects you from the identical threats for the times to come. You must have a certified cybersecurity professional or a certified provider, which will help you save from cyber threats.

If you opt for the standard services, it will include – virtual private network, website vulnerability scanning, antiviral services, managed firewall, scanning, and intrusion detection. When you have all this in place, you can relax.
Remember, these are professional services, and they are offered to both manage and monitor your websites. Make sure you seek professional assistance to plug the gaps.

4- Using 2-Factor Authentication

You may think that you can’t become a victim of cybersecurity mishaps, but you start believing it once you become a victim. It has been found that businesses usually become an easy victim of cybercrime due to common things such as – weak or insecure passwords.

But with the help of various ways, you can offer protection to your password authentication system. Two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as MFA, is one of the easy to use security methods that can prove helpful in password theft.
The process is not that cumbersome. At the time of logging in to an account using a two-factor authentication system, you use a combination of your standard username and password.

This further gets verified on your smartphone as well.
The main motive behind using this secondary code is to ensure that you are really who you say you are. This is a safe method, even leading companies such as Yahoo and Google use it to offer high-level protection against cyber threats.
Using a simple code will offer apt protection to both your data and accounts. When your smartphone is your verifier, hacking your computer and gaining access to your data is impossible.

The best thing about a two-factor authentication system is that it won’t burn a hole in your pocket and has an easy set up as well. It should be your top priority. Read more on how to setup 2 factor authentication on your wordpress site.

5- Protect Your End-Points

Endpoints can be termed as the devices which are being used daily. Mainly, endpoint is any device that is used to gain access to any network. It can be anything from your laptops to your smartphones. However, this is where the security breach commonly takes place.

Today, businesses have understood this element, and this is the reason most of them have opted for a model that uses technology outside the office. If you still haven’t, then this is the right time to do so.

Incessant defense and real-time protection have become the need of the hour, and it cannot be overlooked.

Use Secure Devices

Dispose of Data/Equipment Properly:

Encrypt Backup Data

Minimize Administrator Privileges:

Securely Send data:

Connect Securely using secure wifi

Update IT Policies

Today, technology and gadgets used by the hackers have become way more advanced; having a simple antivirus is no longer sufficient. Using automated systems can result in false contentment that forces you to believe that you are secure.
However, this is where tenacity and concentration play an important role along with the additional skills to keep a check on your network. Irrespective of the business, endpoint detection and response are always conceivable.

6- Opt for a firewall & virtual hardening

When a cyber-attack is mentioned, a firewall is one of the first lines of defense. As per FCC (Federal Communications Commission), it is essential for all SMBs to have a firewall so that it forms a barrier between your data and the hackers.
Besides having a typical external firewall, today, companies are opting to install internal firewalls offering extra protection. It is also mandatory to install a firewall on their home network, especially for all the employees who are working from home.

7 - Take a backup of all your data regularly

SBA recommends that it is essential to take the backup of electronic spreadsheets, resources files, financial files, human, processing documents, databases, and payable files. If you have stored data on the cloud, make sure you have taken the backup of that data as well.
You have to ensure that the data is saved at a separate location to avoid any mishap. To ensure you have the latest backup, cross-check your backup daily, this way, you will ensure that it is functioning correctly whenever you need it.

8- Install anti-malware software

Your employees may be aware of the fact that they don’t have to open the phishing emails. However, as per a report by Verizon 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report, 30% of the employees opened phishing emails; this is an increase of 7% since 2015.

Phishing attacks usually involve the installation of malware on the computer of an employee whenever he/she has clicked on the link. This is why anti-malware software must be installed on every device and the network, as well.
Conclusion

Nowadays, more and more companies are adopting a cyber-security checklist. Having such a checklist not only makes your task more comfortable, but it also helps you identify the inadequacies of the protocols of your business. This way, you will be able to take timely action. When you have all these regulations in place, you will be in a better position to counter cyber-crime and conduct your business in a hassle-free manner.

Need Help Implementing Security to your small business website?

Security is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a requirement for every business, no matter how large or small. Hire WP sec experts when implementing firewalls and security-related features such as remote access and wireless routers so that it is properly configured the first time.

External resources can also be called upon to do penetration testing to identify and lock down any website vulnerabilities.
If you don’t have the internal resources to implement security policies, it may be time to consider outsourcing these services to a professional.

At Wp hacked help, we understand that virtually every company will end up experiencing some sort of security disaster over its lifespan. That’s why we integrate cyber security into every aspect of our IT services. We’re passionate about providing small businesses with the holistic threat management and security planning they need to feel peace of mind.