Employee Awareness: Key to secure business operations

As per Veriato’s 2018 Insider Threat Report, cyber security professionals believe that employees are the biggest security risk for the company.

Cybercrime is a reality and the truth is that the majority of the world is not prepared. The situation is unpredictable, untraceable, and has boundless reach where a hacker in one corner of the globe can break into a system at the opposite end, creating chaos.

With globalisation, businesses have embraced technologies to facilitate smooth operations. However, cybersecurity best practices haven’t been implemented. Employees are also blurring the lines between professional and personal space while making the best use of technology and the Internet.

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According to a report by Keeper Security and the Ponemon Institute, 54% of IT professionals point the finger at negligent employees as the main cause of most cyber security issues. This could be because of ignorance, denial or a misunderstanding of their role in ensuring information or data security.

Let us pledge to make our employees cyber literate with these simple to follow tips:

1. Follow these password rules: Create long and difficult-to-guess passwords that include numbers, upper and lower-case letters, and special characters. Use a different password for each account.

2. When registering with a website or for Web service, make sure you choose security questions the answers to which only you know should you forget a password.

3. Don’t click on suspicious-looking links. If something looks strange, don’t click on it. Avoid opening links of lotteries, prizes, gifts, discounts.

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4. Keep an eye out for phishing scams.

5. Install, use and regularly update antivirus and antispyware software on every computer used in your business.

6. Use a firewall for your Internet connection.

7. Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as they become available.

8. Make sure a website is secure before you enter personal information. Do not reveal personal or financial data on unknown websites.

By Sunil Sharma, Managing Director Sales at Sophos India & SAARC