5 Useful Security Tips Every Business Needs After Sony Hack
The ill- fated Sony attack
With National Cyber security awareness month coming to an end and the business headlines still talking about data breaches, here comes the next big one: Sony Pictures fell prey to a hacker attack which led to sensitive data being exposed on torrent networks.
Reports say close to 25 GB of confidential information including movies, payroll information, social security and health care data of close to 7500 employees went public. Even worse, the malware seems to have even wiped off critical data from the hard drives of affected systems. In a recent speech, former NSA Director Keith Alexander highlighted the scope of the threat to U.S businesses and the government.
Breaches Seem to be Scaling High~
What is more unnerving is the fact that close to 43% of the organizations surveyed by Experian Data Breach Resolution and Ponemon Institute seem to have suffered from data breaches in 2014 - a 10% increase from 2013. Looks like even the big shots are not safe with big eBay, Home Depot, Target, Dairy Queen falling victims to Cyber attacks.
The need of the hour is to adopt proper practices to safeguard your business from security breaches in the hands of the vicious hackers. Here are few security tips that can help your server security strategy intact:
Never Let Your Guard Down: 5 Best Practices For Your Business
1) Have a Data Breach Strategy
Due to increased frequency of information hacks your top priority is to put appropriate measures in place to protect against them. Tools like server monitoring and network security management will prove effective and will alert you whenever there is a potential data breach by understanding usage patterns and monitoring internal and external threats. That way, you have a much better chance of preventing or reducing data actually leaking into the wrong hands.
2) Secure Your Passwords with Two Step Verification
Never store passwords as plain text. Make sure you use a hashing algorithm to check the
password entered against the hash. Also, do not forget to implement salting to add a random factor to the password. This helps in increasing password strength and make the hacker sweat a lot trying to crack it. Provide two factor authentication to apply an additional layer of security.
3) Update Server Patches on a Regular Basis
The simplest approach to securing your network is to keep them updated with security patches to protect against known vulnerabilities. An important point to be considered before applying any service pack, hotfix or security patch is to read and peer review all relevant documentation. The peer review process reduces the risk of an individual missing any critical and relevant points when evaluating the update.
4) Encrypt All Your Confidential Data
He who controls the keys controls the data! Even when your network or security is breached, encryption can hold off hackers from accessing confidential data. Encrypting data during its transmission as well as storage affords the greatest possible security. Always encrypt sensitive data relating to customers, company and employees.
5) Have a Response Plan in Place
Make sure you have an effective response plan is ready. The hackers have explored
never-thought-of ways to attack your systems. Make sure the concerned employees are trained to manage a data breach by means of repeated fire drills.The top management should ensure active participation and be the driving force behind such initiatives.
BONUS! There are free tools (no sign-up required) from Site24x7 and ManageEngine that are available for webmasters and server administrators which can help you scan your websites for malware and manage your networks efficiently. You can also take advantage of our Site24x7's 30 days trial or free basic account which lets you monitor 5 websites!
Security isn't just a technology issue or a job of network security expert. No matter how big or small your business is, everyone is part of the security team. Each individual have the opportunity to improve or erode your business's security everyday!