Top 12 Most Common Cyber Security Mistakes

Top Most Common Cyber Security Mistakes Techhyme

Stolen information and data will not lead to the end of the business. It is not a great sign for the business either. Studies and research indicate that a data breach in an organization’s network can lead to a loss of $10-$20 million, and the amount increases each year.

People do not want to lose their money because of some issues or vulnerabilities in the system, do they? Indeed, businesses and organizations cannot make mistakes. These mistakes can lead to the loss of data, but a large organization is bound to make such mistakes. What the organization must do is to learn from those mistakes. Many companies provides well managed cyber security services.

Also Read: A Step-By-Step Guide to Penetration Testing

You cannot expect your organization to do the exact thing repeatedly only because the outcome may change at one point. This article covers the different mistakes organizations make. You must protect your organization from making such mistakes during these times.

Failing to Map Data
Neglecting Security Testing
Concentrating on Wrong Aspects
Forgetting the Basics
Avoiding Training
Security Monitoring
Avoiding Vendor Risk Assessments
Ignoring Shadow IT
It is not only about Malware
Breaches won’t Happen
Forgetting about the Management
Doing it on Your Own

1. Failing to Map Data

Every organization must focus on understanding how and where the data flows. It should also look at where the data is saved. Remember, data is the livelihood of your company. It is only when you assess and identify the flow of data that you can see where it must be protected.

You must know if the data is flowing out of your organization and who it is shared with. When you have visibility, you will know what ends the hacker can attack. You will also know where you can catch the hacker.

2. Neglecting Security Testing

Vulnerabilities will reside across the database, systems, applications, and network. These vulnerabilities now extend to various devices like the IoT or Internet of Things and smartphones. Organizations must test these devices and connections regularly to scan for any vulnerabilities.

You can also perform some penetration tests to learn about the vulnerabilities. Remember, you cannot guess the vulnerabilities, and will only find them when you test them.

3. Concentrating on Wrong Aspects

It is true that prevention is not an anachronism. As technology advances, so make the threats against it. Remember, a hacker will find a way to enter the border. A firewall will not always protect your systems if you have an employee who does not know what he is doing. Once a hacker is inside the system, he can acquire privileged information.

He can also pretend to be an employee of the organization. Hackers can evade any security scans for a long time. If you have better visibility, you can find a hacker and reduce the chances of data leaks.

4. Forgetting the Basics

Often, it is the simple things you can use to overcome and threats to the system. You must train all your employees. Help them understand the type of password they must use. They must perform the right actions as well.

It is only when this happens that you can maintain the network components properly and minimize the risk of data loss. You can also find ways to configure the data to prevent any changes adequately.

5. Avoiding Training

Remember to train your employees to know what they must do to prevent any attacks. The most common form of hack is a social engineering attack. The hacker will send information from a malicious source and mask the information to seem legit.

He can then use the information the employee feeds into the website, and attack the configuration of the system and network. Make sure to train your staff about protecting their systems and how to identify social engineering attacks.

6. Security Monitoring

Most businesses cannot set up their security operations center or center of excellence since they lack the budget. This does not mean you cannot monitor the security of the systems and network. You must investigate the network and look for any threats or vulnerabilities. You can use these methods to minimize the effect of an attack on the data and security.

7. Avoiding Vendor Risk Assessments

From earlier, you know vendor risks are the reasons for numerous data breaches. Hackers can enter the organization’s systems through the vendor’s application or network. Therefore, you must have a plan to help you assess the risks in third-party systems. You can also read the reports they share about their systems to learn more about their security.

8. Ignoring Shadow IT

Remember, the end-points in any network are often connected to other networks, and this makes it hard to control the flow of data through the network. Most employees access shadow devices and applications from their laptops and desktops.

The IT department in most organizations does not support the use of such applications. If you do not know how to stop it, you must find a way to hide it. You can block these applications and websites.

9. It is not only about Malware

Most hackers use malware to establish their presence in a system or network. Once they are inside the network or system, they will use different strategies to perform the hack and move through your network. So, you need to find hack into the system in a legitimate way and perform the hack to detect any vulnerabilities.

10. Breaches won’t Happen

This is one of the biggest mistakes most companies make. Some organizations do not protect their business and network since they believe cybercriminals do show mercy. This is never going to happen.

Cybercriminals will attack any company, regardless of its size. You must prepare your defenses and identify the response to an attack. This will help you minimize the damage and react faster to any threats if the day does come.

11. Forgetting about the Management

You must understand that security must mature over time, and this is one of the primary objectives of an information security professional. In some instances where businesses have reached high levels of maturity, security is a part of the organization’s culture. You must obtain permissions and approvals from the management before you investigate any attacks or the systems.

12. Doing it on Your Own

Regardless of whether you own a small business or are a part of a larger organization that lacks security skills, you must find someone to help you with testing your network and systems. Hire an ethical hacker to test the networks and systems.

You can also partner with security service providers. Alternatively, you can speak to your management and hire the right professionals, or you can train the employees in your firm. You must avoid making these mistakes if you want to improve the security of your organization’s systems and networks.

Tips to Keep Your Organization Secure

In this article, we will look at some tips to help you protect your organization from being a victim. Speak to the IT professionals and other stakeholders in the business to learn more about what you can do to prevent any cyber-attacks.

1. Creating an Information Security Policy

Every business must have a clearly defined security policy. This policy should provide information on the processes and actions every employee in the organization must follow. You must enforce this policy and train employees to perform the right actions. Remember to include the following in your information security policy:

Best Practices for encryption
Password requirements
Usage of devices
Email access

You must update this policy frequently, and let every employee in the organization know about the changes made to the policy.

2. Educating Employees

This is a very important aspect to consider. If you have a security policy, but your employees do not know what they must do, then it is a lost cause. Help your employees understand the different protocols they must perform. You need to have the training and let people know what they must do. This is one of the easiest ways to protect data.

3. Using Secure Passwords

Remember, passwords are important to maintain cyber security. Instruct your employees to choose passwords that are difficult for a hacker to guess. You must avoid the usage of dates and names in your password since hackers can easily connect you with those words. You must also instruct them to change passwords regularly. You can also use a multi-factor authentication system to add an extra layer of protection to the accounts.

4. Ensure Software is Updated

If you have outdated software in your systems, it can lead to a security risk. You should always update the software with the latest patches. For example, if you use the Windows Operating System, you must allow the updates to run so that you can cover any vulnerabilities or gaps.

5. Secure the Network

You must use firewalls to protect the network used in the system. Make sure to use encryption, so you make it harder for a hacker or any other user to access the data. You must be careful when you use Wi-Fi since most hackers target those connections. Let employees know they should not use public Wi-Fi. Ask them to use VPN connections to secure the transmission of data. Make sure to protect the router using a strong password.

6. Back-Up the Data

Regardless of how vigilant you are, a hacker can choose to target your system or network. Store the data on a disk in the event of such an attack. Let the system store the data automatically in a secure place. You could also store the data in a separate data center.

7. Control Access

You must ensure to maintain some control over the devices used by employees as well. Employees must be careful about the information on their screen, and should never leave it unlocked.

If they leave their station or desk for a minute, they must log out of that system. Since anyone can walk away with a laptop, employees should be told never to leave it unattended. Since more business is conducted on tablets and smartphones, hackers target these devices. Employees must secure their data on the phone and protect their phones using a password. They must report the loss or theft of the device promptly.

8. Cybersecurity Training

Organizations can always reduce the risk of cyber-attacks by training their employees.

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Tips to Keep Your Organization Secure

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