The digital world is vast and necessary for our relatively new way of life as it has allowed businesses to develop and expand beyond measure. However, it’s also full of threats, such as cyberattacks, which have grown exponentially in the past few years.
Fortunately, our security measures have also been tightening and advancing rapidly, and there are now numerous methods of ensuring the safety of your users and data.
Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of the six most valuable tips for increasing your online security and reducing the number of possible breaches or hacks. Read ahead to discover more as we dive deeper into each aspect.
Table of Contents
Containerization
Containers and containerization are relatively new methods of increasing your online business’s security. They’re used mainly by the company’s DevOps department but are not exclusive to them, while Docker is the most used containerization platform.
As containers divide apps into smaller components isolated from one another, they’re an excellent way of reducing potential data breaches and preventing the spread of malware. However, they’re also not perfect or impenetrable, which means it’s not enough to rely on containerization and call it a day.
That’s why secure Docker container deployment is also vital, as it’s an additional security measure for your online business’s applications, images, and workloads.
Proper Network Infrastructure
A business’s network infrastructure connects all of the business’s systems, users, and devices. However, the connections between these elements are vulnerable and can be breaching points that hackers can exploit.
Investing in well-made infrastructure is vital, but optimizing infrastructure expenses is also essential. You may not need to use the latest Wi-Fi standards and modems, but you can increase security by letting your employees use VPNs, which are incredibly cheap nowadays.
You should undoubtedly get all the latest bells and whistles if you have the budget. Until then, you can work on tightening user permissions and implementing stricter access protocols to prevent unauthorized access to some parts of your network.
Security Patches and Updates
Most hackers nowadays focus on various phishing and social engineering exploits. They also look for possible backdoors in a business’s structure, often finding zero-day vulnerabilities and exploiting them to gain access to a company.
However, regularly updating your systems and software, running daily firmware updates, and applying properly-made security patches, significantly decreases the risk of exploits, security breaches, and hacks, improving overall security.
Hiring a team of professional security engineers to be on constant standby can also be beneficial. It’s also a good idea to find white-hat hackers to help you find those zero-day vulnerabilities and patch them before anyone with malicious intent finds them.
Adequate Passwords
We all know the importance of strong passwords and two-factor authentication measures. However, we only know this in theory and don’t use such passwords in practice, as the number of users with good passwords is quite disappointing.
On the other hand, weak passwords are responsible for 80% of hacking breaches and 30% of all data breaches. These passwords often contain pet names, users’ names, names of their children, and other similar items, making them easy to crack.
That’s why the importance of passwords can’t be overstated, and it’s why such trivial things must frequently be repeated until users finally learn.
Employee Awareness
That also brings us to employee awareness, which can enhance your online business’s security. Educating your employees and raising awareness about proper security protocols and practices shouldn’t be overlooked. In today’s world of phishing and social engineering hacks, uneducated employees can be the perfect exploit that cyber attackers and hackers are looking for.
However, by organizing regular security meetings and seminars and making employees learn about the importance of strong passwords, authentication methods, privacy, sensitive data, work incidents, and proper reporting techniques, you can significantly reduce your chances of getting hacked or involved in a data breach.
Regular Backups
Preparing for cyberattacks and data breaches also means readying for the worst-case scenario and implementing various backup and recovery plans.
Although it might seem like they’re not precisely a security tip or feel like they might be useless during an attack, the reality is different. Preparing for hacks, threats, and cyber attacks also means understanding that no company or online business will ever be 100% protected or safe.
That’s why backups are necessary, as they can help you keep your data in case of an attack or disaster, allowing you to roll back to a previous version while eliminating the threat.
Conclusion
Although hacking attempts and data breaches have never been on as high a level as they are today, there isn’t any surefire way to ensure the absolute safety of any online business. However, you can still get extremely close to perfection and reduce your chances of getting hacked or breached.
By implementing containerization and securing your container deployment, investing in proper network infrastructure, doing regular software updates, educating employees about security issues, and regularly promoting solid passwords and two-factor authentication, you can bring your company’s security to the next level. If all else fails, having backups can be highly beneficial.
Also Read : Which Activity Is Essential For Cybersecurity?
