Cybersecurity preparedness is one of the major obstacles facing businesses today. Despite the
increased focus on making companies cyber safe, there are several common cybersecurity
misconceptions that still pervade the business world. If you or your employees
believe any of the myths below, you could be opening up your business to
unknown risk. Check out the full list, or jump to our infographic for tips on
how you can bust these myths and keep your business cyber safe.
Your business is
too small for a cyberattack
This is one of the
most prevalent cybersecurity myths that need to be debunked right this
instant. Most Small and Mid-Sized Businesses (SMBs) think that they are safe
from any kind of digital threats because they’re off the radar. That’s
certainly not the case. Hackers don’t care about the scale of your organization
to target it. Of course, there are some who’d prefer to hack the Bank of
America, but most hackers would settle for smaller businesses. Especially when
the SMBs think that they are safe and don’t invest in better a security system,
they get hit. 58% of data breach targets are small businesses, says this
report. Always be cautious. Doesn’t matter if you have 10 employees or 10,000,
your business is at risk of getting hit by a cyber attack.
Anti-virus/Anti-malware is good enough
No anti-virus or
anti-malware can keep your system safe from all types of cyberattacks. This software relies on a large database that has information about all the
malware/viruses out there. However, if the hackers use a new kind of malware to
infect your network or PC then there’s a high chance that this anti-virus software won’t be able to detect those. So, don’t solely rely on such software.
They are only the first line of defense for your system and you should always
have multiple defending options available.
Our passwords are
strong
Most people think
that their regular passwords are strong enough to stand against multiple
break-in attempts. However, that’s a wrong mentality right there. No password
can be secure, no matter how many numbers and special characters you use
in your passwords, there’s always a possibility that they can be cracked or
leaked in some way. This is why it’s very important to keep changing your
passwords on a regular basis. It could be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, but
you need to regularly change your passwords and have your employees change
theirs.
Our industry
doesn’t have any cyber threats
Every industry is at
risk. If you are connected to the internet in one way or another then you are
at risk of getting digitally attacked. Movies and TV will have you believe that
only tech or finance industries are prone to cyberattacks, but that’s not
entirely true. Hackers target whatever they can, whenever they can. Even if you
don’t have an e-commerce website, there’s still the risk of someone breaking
into your organization’s network and wreaking havoc.
Bringing your own
device is safe
Well, it’s definitely
a cost-effective system to have your employees bring in and connect their
personal devices to your organization’s network, but it also comes with a
plethora of risks. Most employees have a bunch of personal devices ranging from
a PC to their smartphone and when they connect to your network, it also becomes
a whole new entry point for hackers. It only takes one weak link to bring
cripple and bring down the entire network. So, make sure that all users adhere
to your cybersecurity policies before they can use their personal devices.
Our cybersecurity
system is PERFECT
You can never be too
sure about your cybersecurity ever. Technology is advancing with each passing
hour. The unending evolution of technology also means that there are new
threats emerging each day. So, your cybersecurity system that was top-notch back
in the day, could be entirely obsolete in the future. For this reason, you need
to constantly adapt newer cybersecurity policies and practices to avoid any
mishaps.
Threats are only
external
Most people will tell
you that cybersecurity threats come from the outside. Some hackers sitting in a
dark basement trying to hack into your organization’s network. But, they can
not be any more wrong. Most of the cyber attacks, nearly 75% of data breaches
are a result of someone on the inside, says research. A disgruntled employee,
an ex-employee with a grudge, or just an ignorant user on your network can
grant access to your entire organization’s data resulting in a massive data
breach. It’s always a good idea to train your employees and teach them about
cyber threats.
IT department will
take care of it
Well, normally it’s
the IT department's job to implement and review policies, but they can not take
care of everything. The responsibility lies on each employee's shoulder when it
comes to improving cybersecurity. If the employees aren’t properly trained then they will
end up downloading malware through emails or unsafe websites. There should be
easy-to-understand training and clear policies regarding cyber safety. If your
employees aren’t trained, they could unintentionally open up your organization
to potential threats.
We don’t need
tests or training
This could be the
most dangerous and fatal myth out there. Some people think that watching a
couple of YouTube videos or reading a few cybersecurity-related articles will
bring them up to speed with all the risks and counter-measures. They often
forego any testing or training which could prove to be fatal for the
company. You need to regularly conduct pentests and
assessments to find any vulnerabilities, and fix them in time.
We will see the
virus right away.
This would’ve been
true almost a decade ago when viruses would slow down your computer, load
pop-ups, and whatnot. However, today malware has become very stealthy. Most
sophisticated viruses sit on your computer, avoiding any detection. These
viruses can do massive damage which could be data leaks, sensitive information
leaks, etc. Carry out regular checks to find any infections on your systems
right away.
Conclusion
In order to be ready
to deal with cyber attacks, you have to identify what is a myth and what is a
reality. Therefore, the cyber attack might happen to everybody who is connected
to the Internet not only to big and significant corporations. There is no device that is not in the risk zone to be attacked. Consequently, mobile phones could
be easily hacked as well as laptops and PCs. Since a hacker’s job is to find
ways around antivirus software or passwords, therefore, to install the
antivirus on your device or only create a strong password won’t be enough to
ensure the total security. And last, but not the least, due to the fact
that modern malware is hard to detect you could not know when your device was
infected. Taking that into account, cybersecurity should be considered as a
strategy rather than a tool to solve an issue of attack.
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