Is Your Company Safe? 3 Common Ways That Businesses Get Hacked

The internet has definitely made life a lot easier for employers and employees alike, but it also comes with its own share of problems. Companies rely a lot on these new devices and software to streamline their internal processes and increase their profits, but without the proper education on how to use them, it is incredibly easy for businesses to be exposed and fall for a lot of hacking tactics. According to a report by IBM, the total cost of cyber breaches in 2015 was a whopping $4 million.

Do you want your business to be safe from these kinds of attacks? To get you started, you will have to start learning all of the different ways in which outsiders can gain access to your enterprise’s sensitive information. In this article, we will discuss three of the most common methods that are employed by malicious individuals in order to steal confidential data from corporations around the world.

1. Not Taking the Time to Set a Password That is Strong Enough

There is a reason why so many websites now ask you to create a stronger password these days. It is supposed to thwart attempts by outsiders to log into your account without your permission. The more characters that you use in your password, the harder it will be to crack because the total number of possible combinations would increase dramatically. How-To Geek recommends that you use a password manager app in order to keep track of every single account that you use, ensuring that you have a unique password for every username you have.

However, technology is also helping out these malicious individuals, for they have come up with software that can run all sorts of guesses for your password in a matter of seconds, meaning you can still have your account hacked even if you created the strongest login credentials possible. Now, you cannot rely only on a strong, complicated password containing a long string of characters to protect you, as determined hackers can eventually get in if they work long enough at cracking it. However, by implementing additional roadblocks, such as two-factor authentication, you will be able to keep digital trespassers at bay and be informed of those attempts, giving you enough time to reevaluate your security tactics and adjust them as necessary.

2. Sharing Information Between Employees Within the Company

Again, a lot of websites remind you to never, ever share your password with anybody else, not even your family or friends, because you are opening yourself up to a ton of risks by doing so. It is like you are handing over the key to your house to multiple people, giving them the access they need without even having to break a sweat.

However, there may be times when you feel it would be necessary to do. For example, sometimes, your employees might find themselves in situations where they must hand over their password in order to solve an internal crisis, such as if they are on leave or absent and people absolutely need to pull important data from their account. If that is the case, make sure that you or one of your department heads oversees the entire process, and then have access to that account relinquished to the person who really owns it so that they can reset their password from their own device. You should also look into protected file sharing and secure email providers for additional peace of mind.

3. Filling Out Information on Fake Websites and Business Forms

If you have ever visited a site that looked like it was not quite right, and yet it was asking you for your username and password, then you have probably experienced somebody’s attempt at phishing for your information. Phishing involves obtaining somebody’s login credentials by fooling them into giving it over, usually claiming it’s so you don’t lose your account. Here is a quick way to know if it is a scam: legit companies would never, ever ask for your password to access your account, since they can easily access it from their own servers.

Have you or any of your employees fallen victim to any of the methods we have mentioned above? If so, it is high time for you to implement several policies throughout all of your departments in order to ensure that it does not happen again. You will also have to make sure that you move all of your data to a much more secure server, and take the time to educate each and every person on how to avoid being duped by these tactics ever again. Remember: even a single breach could cost your company hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars in terms of damages, so it is always better to be absolutely safe than sorry.