Defend your Business from Cyber-Attacks

Even if your business isn’t online, you may still have to deal with hackers and those who would steal your business information and use it for their own ends. It’s very important to know how to protect your business from hackers, especially if you do a lot of online business. Your customers are entrusting you with their credit card numbers and other personal information, and if you allow a hacker to gain access to any of this, it can destroy your reputation and ultimately lead to your business failing.

What Can Hackers do to Your Business?

Hackers can do more than just steal your customer’s personal information. They can bring your entire site down, redirect some of your traffic to scam pages, and leave a virus on your server that infects future visitors. They may also steal your business information and use it to ruin your business credit.

Ways of Protecting Your Business from Hackers

• Train your employees to use only strong passwords, log off the computer at the end of the day, and keep all information about the business computer systems private. This will not only protect your business but also help them avoid having their own identities stolen.
• Install firewalls, virus scanners, and other security programs on all of your computers and update them regularly.
• Do a business credit check regularly to make sure no one has hacked into the system and stolen your business information.
• If your business does not offer Wi-Fi to the public, routinely check to see what devices are connected to your network. Protect your Wi-Fi with a strong network password.
• Make certain you and your employees know how to identify scams such as phishing emails and websites that encourage users to download a new version or submit their personal information to verify a fake account.
• Ask employees to refrain from using social media sites while at work. These sites are often the source of phishing or hacking attempts. You may want to go so far as to block certain sites so employees cannot access them on your business network.
• Update your software and hardware as needed. Pay special attention to any software updates that are listed as critical updates.

What if you do get Hacked?

If you do suspect you’ve been hacked, take action immediately. It’s vital that you protect your customers’ personal information and prevent business credit fraud. You should have an emergency plan in place and a designated employee, usually someone on your IT staff, to be the point person. If your website has been compromised, immediately take it offline so no one else will lose their personal information. You will also need to contact all of your customers and let them know what’s happened. If your business information was hacked, you may need to cancel your business credit cards and let your bank know what has happened. In any case, you’ll want to contact local law enforcement and report the crime. Many have special cyber-crime divisions that investigate these types of attacks.

Purchase a Cyber Insurance Policy

One of the newest types of business insurance is one that protects against hacking and other cyber attacks. A cyber policy provides liability protection from customers and, in some cases, also provides money for court costs and forensic investigations. If you plan on doing most or all of your business online, this type of policy would certainly be helpful in protecting your business from the results of being hacked.

If you implement these strategies, you should be able to protect your business from hackers, keep your customers safe, and protect your own business credit. Remember, however, that hackers are always changing their methods to be one step ahead of business owners, so you have to continue to update your security and keep your employees informed about the most recent trends in hacking.

Amy Johnson is an active blogger who is fond of writing articles on identity theft and helping people to protect against identity theft. Follow her on Twitter to know more tips to prevent hackers from stealing your information.