Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming mainstream in our lives, as its uses and applications continue to evolve. In the business world, AI can be used to write letters, announcements, marketing materials, and reports. It can analyze data of past performance and current economic indicators to help sales teams predict future trends. AI can assist across virtually every department of a company, with users observing that it saves them time and improves processes. Despite the many advantages to using AI, though, it’s essential for us all to approach this new technology with a degree of caution. And that in particular applies to issues of cybersecurity and AI.

You might say that AI is a double-edged sword when it comes to cybersecurity. It has the capability of offering strong defenses against outside cyber threats, while also being capable of introducing new vulnerabilities to a company’s infrastructure when in the wrong hands.

How can both be true? In this article, we’ll examine how AI functions, how it can both cause and prevent cyber attacks, and what you should know about using AI wisely.

What is AI? How does it work?

AI is a rapidly evolving technology which simulates human intelligence by using machines, especially computer systems. AI has a wide range of cognitive functions that we associate with the human mind, from the simple to the complex. Part of how AI works is through “machine learning,” which allows systems automatically to identify features, classify information, find patterns in data, make determinations and predictions, and uncover insights. AI uses algorithms to create machine learning models that continuously train the systems to increase its accuracy.

It’s important to note that AI performs based on the data that it uses. So, if faulty or fraudulent data goes into the algorithm, then AI might reach incorrect assumptions or be used for fraudulent purposes. The concept of AI has been with us for about ten years, although it’s really the last few years that it has come into prominence. One way to think of AI is as something capable of containing all of documented humanity encapsulated in the mind of a 10-year old, who is making decisions based upon that data. If that “ten year old” has been exposed to the good role models, the outcome will be far superior to the
situation, compared to the ten year old has been exposed to bad role models, like cyber criminals.

How AI can be used to cause cyber attacks

Unfortunately, cyber criminals have the same access to AI that everyone else does. And they can use AI to build their attack strategies with a significantly higher chance of a successful breach or attack.

There are two AI models used: Traditional AI as well as Generative AI.

Traditional AI solves specific tasks with predefined rules. Generative AI focuses on creating new content and data. This is an important distinction.

Generative AI uses deep–learning models which take raw data (such as all of Wikipedia) and from it learn to generate statistically probably outputs when promoted to do so. Generative AI uses unsupervised learning, whereas Traditional AI often employs supervised learning and discriminative models. To highlight the difference, think again of the analogy of the 10-year old. For how long would you leave a 10-year old unsupervised?

Generative AI is quite dangerous in the wrong hands and can be used in cyber-attacks such as phishing, SMS, and other social engineering operations.

Imagine phishing and smishing messages with highly convincing content that can mimic the language, tone and design of legitimate emails. AI can eliminate awkward diction, misspellings, grammatical errors and sloppy graphics that had previously made it easier to detect malicious messages.

With these AI advantages, hackers can make emails look more legitimate. AI can also impersonate people, such as bosses, with a vernacular that is virtually intact. The precision capability with Generative AI is something that the world has never previously seen.

This AI technology is sophisticated enough to fool people by expanding its reach to include a person’s hobbies, other contacts or events in their lives. This technology allows the “deep fake” voice of a boss, or even references to news stations that the intended victim watches.

One of the more frightening components of all of this is how AI can be used in malware. Generative AI uses machine learning to learn the environment. Malware can adapt to security measures and even automate the extraction of valuable data from compromised systems. And the AI continues to learn during an attack. It changes to find the most effective attack.

And with all of that said, AI additionally makes these techniques more affordable to the less skilled attackers.

Using AI to fight AI-enhanced cyber-attacks

We’ve seen how AI can be used by cyber criminals to deploy more successful attacks. But that is not the entire story. It is important to know, also, that AI can be used to fight cyber attacks, when the technology is in the right hands.

When fighting AI-enhanced cyber threats, you don’t want to “bring a knife to a gun fight.” The best way to fight against AI is by using AI.

Here are a few ways that AI can be used to thwart the actions of cyber criminals:

• AI-Specific Threat Detection: AI can sift through significant amounts of data to identify abnormal behavior and malicious activity. It can find abnormalities, detect them and take action including isolating machines and stopping the attack in its tracks.

• Real-time Continuous Monitoring of IoT devices and edge networks can be used to detect anomalies and intrusions, identify fake users, mitigate attacks and quarantine infected devices. AI can provide continual assessment of the trustworthiness of devices, users and applications and can give an immediate response, shortening the time needed to identify fraudsters.

• By using data analysis and an algorithm, AI can identify spam and phishing emails by taking into account the message content and context when looking for warning signals. This continuous monitoring will analyze links and attachments in connection with all email communications across the business when phishing attacks occur.

• A strong security community is another key means of combating AI-enhanced cyber attacks. The exchange of information, best practices and threat intelligence sharing from other cyber professionals and experts can help us stay resilient in the face of evolving AI-related security risks.

• Using AI to identify advanced malware: As each sample of malware passes through the model, the AI becomes stronger. Deep learning AI has enabled companies to optimize their malware protection strategies by increasing the quantity and accuracy of the data it analyses.

• AI in authenticity protection: As cyber criminals evolve their tactics, AI plays a crucial role in improving authentication processes. Traditional authentication processes execute its threat protection at the log-in stage. AI systems can detect in real time and respond to threats throughout a user’s session.  For example, if the user suddenly moves to a new location and device or attempts to access financial information that isn’t relevant to their work, they’ll be prompted to verify their identity.

• Breach risk prediction and AI: AI can predict how and where organizations are most likely to be breached, so that they can plan for resources and tool allocation towards areas of weaknesses.

Tips for using AI safely

Knowing that AI can be used by cyber criminals to advance their purposes, but also knowing that AI in the right hands can be an effective tool in thwarting attacks, it makes sense to look at a few ways that we can use AI safely.

1. Follow proper “cyber hygiene” and “Internet Maturity 101.” Understand how AI works, be mindful of privacy, use strong passwords, be aware of bias, keep software up to date, monitor usage and don’t rely on AI alone to protect against cyber threats.
2. Be cautious with free AI systems such as public cloud systems. Any input from you on such systems might end up as output to someone else.
3. Don’t feed confidential information to ChatGPT or other AI systems – such as financial information, Social Security numbers, or anything along those lines.
4. Do not give any personal data such as names, health data or images as examples, from you or customers.
5. Don’t upload process flows, network diagrams or code snippets from software.
6. Don’t blindly trust the answers given by AI. While often correct, the answers can be wrong, outdated, or biased because the input data was also biased. Using multiple sources to verify information is always a good idea.
7. Choose AI apps carefully. Hackers have taken advantage of demand for AI apps to create fake ones which will trick users into downloading them. Doing so will maximize the opportunity for a hacker to steal data.
8. Don’t rely on AI alone to make crucial business decisions.
9. Be careful with computer codes generated with AI tools. Computer programmers have started using AI tools to write code, and there is an inherent risk of generating code that carries various errors.

Going forward

Acknowledging that AI is an evolving technology that can be used for both good and criminal purposes, it’s important to know as much as you can about how it works. For the business owner who wants to concentrate on running his/her business, it makes sense to partner with a Managed Services Provider (MSP) and a cybersecurity company who can guide your efforts and keep your network protected. Let the experts give you that competitive advantage that your business needs.

Vince Mazza is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Guard Street Partners, LLC (Guard Street), a national cybersecurity company based in Wheaton, IL. His experience in property protection, data privacy and cybersecurity includes time as President and CEO of MH Equity Services LLC and VP at General Electric. He hosts the Guard Street Cybersecurity radio show/webcast and is viewed as a national leader in the field of cybersecurity.

Benefits of DLP:

Beyond merely meeting regulatory compliance, DLP implementation brings forth numerous advantages. By putting data protection at the forefront, organizations not only retain customer trust but also circumvent financial repercussions and reputational damage in the aftermath of a data breach.

Essential Components for a Successful DLP Strategy:

1. Identifying and Classifying Sensitive Data:

Understand the varied types of sensitive data—such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial records, and intellectual property—that your organization manages. Effectively classify this data in accordance with its sensitivity and organizational relevance.

2. Conducting Risk Assessments:

Evaluate the plausible risks and threats, both internal and external, to your sensitive data. A comprehensive risk assessment illuminates your data protection needs and aids in prioritizing mitigation endeavors.

3. Establishing Data Protection Policies:

Develop inclusive data protection policies, elucidating the acceptable norms for handling, storing, and transmitting sensitive data. Define clear roles and lay down explicit expectations for employees to adhere to data protection standards.

4. Implementing Strict Access Controls:

Limit access to sensitive data, employing strong authentication mechanisms like Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), assuring access is granted to only authorized personnel.

5. Encrypting Sensitive Data:

Deploy advanced encryption techniques to safeguard data in transit and at rest, ensuring the security of data stored across varied platforms and the utilization of secure communication protocols.

6. Monitoring Data Activity:

Implement a comprehensive DLP solution that offers real-time monitoring and analysis of data movement within the organization’s network, aiding in the prompt identification and prevention of unauthorized data access or leaks.

7. Employee Training and Regular Audits:

Promote employee awareness about data protection best practices and conduct regular security assessments and audits to measure the efficacy of your security controls and identify areas for improvement.

8. Establishing Robust Incident Response Procedures:

Formulate a clear and concise incident response plan outlining the immediate actions to be undertaken in the event of a data breach, ensuring swift containment and recovery.

9. Staying Updated on Regulations:

Remain well-informed about the prevailing data protection regulations and ensure your data protection measures are in alignment with legal mandates like GDPR and CCPA.

Conclusion:

Implementing stringent data loss prevention measures is a continual journey that demands consistent assessment and refinement. By adhering to the strategies delineated in this guide, organizations can fortify data protection, uphold regulations, sustain customer trust, and mitigate financial and reputational damages effectively.

For personalized and advanced data protection strategies tailored to your organization’s unique needs, feel free to reach out to Guard Street, a leader in cybersecurity solutions.

About Guard Street:

Located in Wheaton, IL, Guard Street is a premier cybersecurity firm offering a spectrum of protection services including advisory and compliance, penetration testing, vulnerability management, and emergency response services. We specialize in empowering clients to mitigate cyber risks and provide unparalleled solutions to aid organizations in recovering from cyber-attacks swiftly.

In today’s business environment, cybersecurity is an essential aspect of any business continuity and disaster recovery plan (BCDRP), and we understand the significance of protecting your business against cyber threats, alongside natural disasters and non-technical events. While natural disasters and disruptions can threaten business continuity, cyber threats have become one of the most significant risks to any business, and the consequences of a successful cyberattack can be devastating.

Discover the importance of a robust vendor risk management program in today’s global economy. Guard Street offers expert guidance to help businesses mitigate risks and protect their operations and data. Learn more below!

In today’s interconnected world, businesses rely heavily on third-party vendors to streamline operations, access specialized expertise, and drive cost savings. However, the rise in cyber-attacks targeting vendors has underscored the critical need for comprehensive vendor risk management programs. Guard Street, a leading cybersecurity company, understands the significance of addressing these risks head-on. In this post, we explore the importance of leveraging expert assistance when building your Vendor Risk Management program and how Guard Street can help safeguard your business.

Building a Comprehensive Vendor Risk Management Program:

In recent times, high-profile cyber-attacks on companies like Kaseya and SolarWinds have emphasized the potential risks associated with third-party vendors. Guard Street emphasizes the importance of a well-structured vendor risk management program that helps identify, assess, and mitigate these risks.

The Initial Step: Vendor Risk Assessment:

The foundation of a robust vendor risk management program lies in conducting a comprehensive vendor risk assessment. Guard Street recommends gathering information about your third-party vendors, including the types of data they handle, their significance to your business, and evaluating contracts and service level agreements. A data flow diagram is a valuable tool for identifying data movement and potential risks. Any critical findings from this assessment should be added to your organization’s risk register.

Expert Assistance for Vendor Risk Assessment:

If your organization has never conducted a vendor risk assessment, seeking the expertise of third-party professionals, like Guard Street, is essential. By leveraging their experience and tailored templates, your organization can conduct an annual review of existing vendors. However, it is crucial to engage third-party experts when onboarding new vendors, encountering significant changes in your business or the vendor’s operations, or facing significant issues with existing vendors since the last review.

Conclusion:

Vendor risk management is a crucial aspect of maintaining operational resilience and data security in today’s global economy. By leveraging the expertise of Guard Street, businesses can confidently build and enhance their vendor risk management programs. Protect your operations, reputation, and data by partnering with Guard Street. Contact them today to learn more about how they can help your organization achieve a secure and compliant business environment while mitigating vendor risks. 

Partnering with Guard Street:

Guard Street specializes in assisting businesses of all sizes in developing and implementing effective vendor risk management programs. Whether you need to create a program from scratch or enhance an existing one, their team of experts has the knowledge and experience to help safeguard your operations and data. With their guidance, your organization can mitigate vendor risks and maintain a secure and compliant business environment.

In this blog post, Guard Street, a holistic cybersecurity company based in Wheaton, IL, shares insights on why regular penetration testing is crucial for organizations of all sizes and industries.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is a method of identifying weaknesses in an organization’s network security. Unlike typical vulnerability assessments, which scan the network for potential operating system, application, and services weaknesses, a pen test goes beyond by simulating real-world cyber-attack scenarios, both externally and internally. It identifies ways external attackers could access your network and applications, as well as internal errors that could give external attackers access to your network, such as phishing emails and poor password management.

Benefits of Regular Penetration Testing

1. Interpret Vulnerabilities: A pen test allows your organization to know exactly how an attacker could exploit vulnerabilities and whether your detection and prevention implementations are properly configured. With this knowledge, you can properly patch the network and/or reconfigure security tools more effectively to stay ahead of cybercriminals.

2. Save Costs of Recovery and Remediation after an Attack: Regular pen testing is an investment that can protect the finances and reputation of your organization. By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, you can reduce the costs of recovery and remediation after an attack.

3. Reduce Chances of Network and Application Downtime: Any loss of time due to network and application downtime can cost organizations and those affected millions of dollars. Regular pen testing can help reduce the chances of such downtime by identifying and fixing vulnerabilities.

4. Follow Regulatory Compliance and Laws Around Security: Many regulatory standards, such as PCI-DSS, SOC2, ISO 27001, CMMC, and HIPAA, require organizations to conduct mandatory testing and audits of their security systems. Regular pen testing can help organizations stay compliant with these standards and avoid significant punitive fines.

5. Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Strategy and Plans: Penetration testing reveals the strengths, weaknesses, and performance of your security measures and infrastructure. By gaining insights from certified external experts, organizations can strengthen their cybersecurity strategy and risk mitigation plans, making them proactive and more resilient to cyber threats.

Conclusion

Regular penetration testing is a crucial component of a robust cybersecurity strategy. By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, organizations can reduce the costs of recovery and remediation after an attack, stay compliant with regulatory standards, and strengthen their cybersecurity strategy and plans. Guard Street is a trusted partner for businesses looking to adopt a proactive approach to cybersecurity. To learn more about our white hat penetration testing and vulnerability management services, visit our website at www.guardstreet.com or engage with us on social media.

About Guard Street

Guard Street is a cybersecurity company based in Wheaton, IL, that offers layered protection services, including advisory and compliance, white hat penetration testing and vulnerability management services, world-class technologies, and emergency response services. Our solutions empower clients to be less vulnerable to cyber risk and help organizations recover when they are victims of cyber-attacks.

Learn more at www.guardstreet.com or engage us on our social media pages below.

© 2023 Guard Street Partners, LLC

February 7, 2022

In Part 1 of “The Basics” article series, we covered the proactive steps a small business should take to harden cyber defenses.  In this Part 2, we’ll discuss what happens to your digital systems and data in a cyber-attack and the steps to take if your organization is breached.

What happens to digital systems and data in a cyber-attack? 

Your business might have a disaster recovery plan, but does it cover your digital systems and valuable data? In a cyber-attack, you could lose your business’s network access and data. A basic recovery plan should detail the steps to get you running:

1. Stay calm and assess damage. What was stolen, lost, or held ransom?  

There are few things that can cause more panic than the realization the enterprise has been compromised.

Reacting impulsively in the face of internal panic could do more harm than good. Focus instead on minimizing the consequences by taking a measured, thoughtful response to the problem at hand.

Keep in mind also that just as you wouldn’t want anyone to disturb the crime scene in a television drama, the evidence of a breach should also remain intact. The team investigating the compromise shouldn’t erase or alter any logs in a hurried attempt to “do something.” This forensic evidence may be needed later by investigators or in a court of law.

2. Respond immediately

The sooner you respond, the more money you can save and quicker your business can recover. According to an IBM & Ponemon Institute study, “leveraging an incident response team was the single biggest factor associated with reducing the cost of a data breach – saving companies nearly $400,000 on average (or $16 per record).”

Audit your systems to figure out what happened. A professional security analyst can help determine the scope of the attack and recommend actions to plug security gaps.  Verifying the attack involves:

• Identifying which systems and data have been compromised. Is it just names and addresses or more serious data such as passwords or credit card numbers?
• Determining which IP addresses were used in the attack.
• Confirming the type of attack (Virus? Malware? Unauthorized remote access? Something else?).

3. Quarantine the Offender and Restore/Recover

Much like you keep a sick child away from siblings, isolate infected computers. By acting quickly to take the source computer or impacted applications off the network, you can better contain the cyber-attack by preventing any virus or malware from spreading.

While the initial reaction may be to take down your entire network, this could actually hurt you more than the hacker even dreamed by disrupting your operations and causing reputation damage with customers and in the marketplace.

Your cybersecurity specialist should identify the damage done and check for backdoors which hackers may have set up to enable future access to your system. It may also be that a trusted supplier was hacked, and the compromise originated there. In that case, be sure to block connected accounts until they resolve the issue on their end.

It’s not enough to quarantine the offender and then restore/recover.  There should be vulnerability scans, patching, hardening, etc. before systems come back online (assuming a good backup).  The idea is to stop the attack, harden against further attacks, and then restore/recover. Otherwise, it’s just a repetitive cycle.

“The average time to identify a breach was estimated at 201 days, and the average time to contain a breach was estimated at 70 days.” — Ponemon Institute

4. Allow Recovery Time

The attacked computers or servers will need some recovery time, just like a sick child does. Prioritize the order for cleaning and restoring based on how critical each component is to the business. You’ll want to install your most recent clean backup and change logins and passwords for all impacted systems.  Use completely different random passwords. Take this opportunity to confirm that there aren’t any systems still using default passwords or something obvious like “admin or password.”

This step requires you to actually have a backup of your important files. We hope you’ve been following our regular advice to consistently back up and verify sensitive and critical information to an offsite device that is not connected to the network.

5.  Disclose the Breach to Necessary Parties

Stemming the internal damage from cyber-attack is only part of the process. Once a threat or vulnerability is detected, have a protocol in place for immediately informing users on the network. For instance, warning other users on the network or customers to discard rather than download an email ostensibly from someone in your company can help stop the spread of a well-crafted social engineering attack.  If the cybercriminal discovered your banking information, call your bank and ask to cancel cards and issue new ones.  If financial information is compromised, you should regularly monitor/audit transactions to ensure validity.

Companies must also share their information with law enforcement and/or regulatory officials. There may be regulatory mandates to follow and even fines to pay but resolving these quickly can help alleviate industry concerns on hearing of the attack.

Plus, your company may need to go public with the information to customers and stakeholders. In weighing the public relations cost of admitting a breach, consider how much worse things are for the company that tries to keep the attack secret and is later discovered to have withheld information. Remember: from a PR standpoint, it’s always better to be in control of the message rather than have a journalist break the story for you.

6. Plan Against the Next Attack

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but this could happen again. It’s the last thing you want to hear when your company is already dealing with an attack, but it’s true.

Try to learn as much as possible about how the attack came about in the first place and why you may have been a target. Was the attacker trying to gain access to certain information, disrupt business, or take over systems to enact a larger attack? Better understanding the motivation for the breach can help you in formulating the updated, and improved security plan.

If you didn’t already have an incident response plan in place, consider this experience as the wakeup call you needed. Further, a cyber security review to determine the gaps in your cyber posture and a disaster recovery plan should also be established.  Given the average cost of a cyber-attack highlighted above, it should be easier to justify the expenditure to establish a response team and plan proactively.

Conclusion

Your company is not too small to worry about a cyber-attack and having cybersecurity processes in place can save your business money and time and potentially save your business.

It is critical for your IT staff to develop and maintain strategies, enforce policies, and remain vigilant with essential cyber protocols. For those companies without the internal expertise, we recommend finding a trusted partner to help with your security posture.

If you want to protect your business or think it’s already been compromised, reach out to our team at Guard Street to learn more about how we can help protect all that you’ve built.

About Guard Street

Guard Street, headquartered in Wheaton, IL is a high-tech cybersecurity and protection company arming businesses and consumers with world-class products built to protect what matters most.  Guard Street products, Cyber Attack Protection Plan and Remote Workforce Cybersecurity, provide a full range of vulnerability alerts, incident response, email security and cyber liability insurance that empower our customers to be less vulnerable to cyber risk and help ensure that organizations recover when they are a victim of a cyber-attack.

Learn more at www.guardstreet.com or engage with us on our social media pages below.

© 2022 Guard Street Partners, LLC.

November 17, 2021

Too many businesses think they are too small to worry about a cyber-attack, and many small businesses don’t even think about cybersecurity until after a cyber-attack. Not having cybersecurity can cost your business money and time and can result in lost or exposed sensitive information. The damage to your business’ reputation can be just as detrimental as well.

However, there are essential proactive steps you can take.

Why do you need cybersecurity?  

If you’re connected to the internet, you’re at risk.  Just like protecting your home, you must protect your digital assets.

Cyber-attacks are the new normal for small businesses. While most media reports have focused on corporate mega breaches, small businesses are now the new frontier for cyber criminals. In fact, a Ponemon report said 58% of small businesses experienced a data breach in the last 12 months.

The average cost per attack averages $200,000 based on a recent Hiscox study.  Even worse, one report suggests that 60% of small businesses fold within six months of a cyber-attack.

Why are small businesses so vulnerable? 

There are major reasons small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks:

• They think they’re too small to be attacked.
• They don’t allocate enough of their budget to IT or Cybersecurity.
• They can’t afford dedicated IT staff. And if they can, training and budgets are often inadequate. There are affordable IT, dedicated cybersecurity companies and packages that can work for you on a turnkey basis to protect and inform your company.
• Inadequate or non-existent computer and network security. Small businesses can’t respond to threats quickly enough or can’t detect them at all.  Here again, there are affordable approaches most small businesses aren’t aware of.
• Lack of a backup plan. Many small businesses don’t back up their data offsite. Many of those that do don’t test and validate that data was backed up to ensure accessibility in an emergency.
• Employees unknowingly help cyber criminals attack businesses. Employees need to be more aware of attack methods as varied as social engineering calls and email scams.  Policies also need to be put in place and enforced to mitigate the risks caused by employees.
• Small businesses are easier to attack. Hackers can find entry points to access valuable data more readily because of the absence of protection. Criminals can also use the business’ credentials to attack larger targets like suppliers and clients.

Common cybersecurity threats for small businesses

There are many cybersecurity threats for businesses. Here are a few common ones:

• Email and phishing scams use email and text messages to hook victims. Fake, official-looking information asks victims to click on a link to a web page and then enter sensitive financial and personal data. Cybercriminals use the data for identity theft, further attacks, or resale.
• Passwords. Cyber criminals can get access to passwords by tapping into databases, looking at servers to find unencrypted passwords, and using email, text messages or social engineering.
• Server attacks. DOS (Denial of service), SQL injection, and drive-by attacks target websites and servers. DOS attacks overload system resources so they can’t handle the volume of service requests. SQL attacks read and modify sensitive data in databases. Drive-by attacks plant malicious code that will infect a visitor’s system to capture and transmit their sensitive data.
• Man-in-the-middle attacks involve hackers intercepting data from a victim on a fake page. These attacks may also use phishing.
• Social engineering attacks involve human interactions to acquire sensitive information. This can include attacks like phishing and physical activities. For example, a bad actor could leave a USB key loaded with malware in your business, then an unknowing employee could plug it into a company computer and now be open to malware or other malicious programs.

Tips for securing your business from cybersecurity threats 

The first step is to assess your risk.  From there, it’s important to address any vulnerabilities and mitigate potential risk to your business and your customers.

• Assess risks and vulnerabilities. Hire a cybersecurity specialist to test all systems that have external access, such as websites, file shares, and other services. You should set up a simple, external vulnerability scan for your business at a regular cadence for maximum protection. Creating procedures to follow in case of a breach and making network and computer security top priorities (on par with other key business priorities) is equally important.
• Have a plan for all devices. You and your employees are likely accessing business data from multiple devices. While it’s very convenient to check work emails on your phone, that also opens a potential vulnerability. Be sure you’re incorporating mobile device security into your cybersecurity plans.
• Employee training is key. Make sure your employees are aware of cybersecurity threats and security policies. Educate employees that the impulse to trust others is one of the social engineering hacker’s key tools. Reiterate the importance of following protocol and questioning credibility before acting. Be sure to update your training procedures as you roll out new policies continually.
• Follow best practices for passwords. It’s prudent to make all passwords strong and unique. Additionally, use different passwords for different accounts. Make using strong random passwords containing letters, numbers, symbols, and special characters mandatory. Good passwords shouldn’t be easy to remember. Also, prompt your staff to change all passwords every few months.
• Use two-factor authentication to login to apps and systems. An increasing number of apps and e-commerce websites use two-factor authentication to verify a user’s identity. Users receive a numerical code via an authenticator app and enter it along with their password to gain access. For sites that don’t support an authentication app, you can also receive codes via email or text.
• Update your software and systems continuously. Make sure you’re running the latest versions and security patches. Properly configure network security and use antivirus software.  Monthly vulnerability scans can assist you here.
• Backup all your data as protection against ransomware attacks. Use an offsite cloud provider in addition to on-site backup.

Make sure your digital tools are secure  

You can take all the right steps to secure your business and still be vulnerable to cyberattacks if your digital tools aren’t secure.

There is no such thing as a 100% secure tool.  That’s why you need to use products and services with a track record of success in the security and privacy space.  We also suggest layering tools.  In other words, use an appropriate tool for an appropriate activity.  For example, use both a password manager and a virtual private network.

What’s an incident response and recovery plan? Do I need one? 

A basic incident response and recovery plan should identify steps to assess damages and restart operations in the event of a cyber-attack. It should also determine who’s responsible for which tasks and how often to update the plan.  It should involve a cybersecurity specialist to help you through the steps and take immediate action to help your business recover quickly.

In Part 2 of our Small Business Cybersecurity article, we’ll discuss what happens to your digital systems and data in a cyber-attack and the steps to take if you are breached.

Conclusion

Your company is not too small to worry about a cyber-attack and having cybersecurity processes in place can save your business money and time and potentially save your business.

It is critical for your IT staff to develop and maintain strategies, enforce policies, and remain vigilant with essential cyber protocols. For those companies without the internal expertise, we recommend finding a trusted partner to help with your security posture.

If you want to protect your business or think it’s already been compromised, reach out to our team at Guard Street to learn more about how we can help protect all that you’ve built.

About Guard Street

Guard Street, headquartered in Wheaton, IL is a high-tech cybersecurity and protection company arming businesses and consumers with world-class products built to protect what matters most.  Guard Street products, Cyber Attack Protection Plan and Remote Workforce Cybersecurity, provide a full range of vulnerability alerts, incident response, email security and cyber liability insurance that empower our customers to be less vulnerable to cyber risk and help ensure that organizations recover when they are a victim of a cyber-attack.

Learn more at www.guardstreet.com or engage with us on our social media pages below.

© 2021 Guard Street Partners, LLC.