Top Tips to Protect Your Business from Cybercrime

In the past, business owners wanting to protect their companies from theft installed security cameras and padlocks, purchased insurance, and sometimes trained staff in how to spot burglaries in action or to avoid hold-ups.

These days, though, cybercrime has introduced the business world to a very different type of criminal — those often sitting behind a computer that don't even need to leave their home or office to steal from others.

In fact, according to research released by Symantec/NCSA, cyberattacks cost small and medium-size businesses close to $200,000 on average each year, and around two-thirds of those companies are forced out of business within just six months of the crime.

This type of attack can unfortunately be hard to prevent too. This is especially the case when considering the constant arrival of new types and techniques of cybercrime, and with police units all over the globe faced with ever-decreasing budgets to fight against it. To keep your business as safe as possible, it's important to stay up to date on the best way to do so.

You can learn a lot about the current trends of cybercrime, its history, and the best security measures to take, by hiring a professional who has studied the area or by teaching yourself. Increasing numbers of business owners choose to get a master's degree in cybersecurity in order to protect their business and their assets.

If you're keen to learn some simple techniques you can put in place today, read on for top tips to keep your business away from the prying eyes (and computers) of thieves.

1. Install Firewalls, and Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam Software

One of the first security steps to take is to install a firewall. This is a must for small businesses, especially for those that have customer information and other sensitive details linked to the Internet.

A firewall helps to protect a computer from hackers who access information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and other data, in order to steal or delete information, or even completely crash the computer. Many operating systems come with their own firewalls, or alternatively you can purchase third-party versions.

As well, make sure that you have anti-virus and anti-spam software and spyware installed on every computer. Malicious software and viruses can infect computers not just through a Wi-Fi connection but also via illicit websites or spam emails. This malware can get into the system and install codes that run in the background without the user realizing it.

From then on, keystrokes and login details are captured by the code and relayed to the hackers. This is one of the top information- and money-generating techniques used by cybercriminals around the world. Utilizing up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spam software can help stop these attacks from occurring.

2. Keep Software and Hardware Updated

In order to avoid cybercrime, it's important to keep all of your business software and hardware regularly updated — after all, there's no point buying expensive computers or having security applications installed if they haven't been updated for years.

The newest versions of operating systems tend to be the safest, and on top of that, updating all of your programs on a regular basis helps to pinpoint any issues or security holes that crop up through changes to programming or new installations.

Think of it like a car that needs servicing consistently in order to keep it running smoothly; in the same way, computers need frequent updates to close security loopholes and keep machines running properly.

3. Select Proper Passwords

A very simple fix for a lot of security issues is to choose secure passwords that hackers can't easily work out. Believe it or not, two of the most common computer passwords still used across the globe are "password" and "123456" — this practically invites criminals to access information!

Passwords should be changed regularly (around every two to three months is best), and it's a good idea to select codes that include a combination of capital and lower-case letters, plus numbers and symbols.

The best length for passwords is eight to 12 characters long, and they should never include personal data such as birth dates. In addition, passwords should vary throughout the office and be different for your various accounts and logins.

Smartphones also need to be factored in, especially considering how much data they hold and how easily they're lost or stolen. Make use of the built-in "lock-out" period on your phone as well, which means that if it isn't used for a certain amount of time the phone will automatically lock itself and require a password to log back in.

4. Educate Employees

Finally, it's vital to educate all of your employees on cybercrime and security measures. Personnel mistakes are often the biggest security holes for a company and can create many of the common data breaches hackers take advantage of. Reduce security risks by teaching staff how to recognize potential threats (such as spam emails) and even create a set of guidelines for all employees to follow when it comes to using business computers, tablets, smartphones, and the like.