5CYBERSECURITY TIPS FOR BUSINESSES Cybersecurity is critical in today’s world. According to a study conducted by Security Intelligence, cyberattacks specifically directed at businesses increased toward the end of 2022. Companies are having to spend more and more money to keep their businesses secure as the number of incidents continues to rise. In addition, cyberattacks are getting trickier, making the identification and remediation process take months longer before you can get back to normal operations. By now, everyone has received an email or text pretending to be a legitimate company that you are affiliated with, such as your bank or your phone company. They usually attempt to claim that your personal information needs to be verified and then provide a link to take you to “your company’s” website to enter that information. However, as many of you know, it is a false website pretending to be your company, so you hand over your personal information directly into the unsecured website for them to steal. From there, it’s easy to worm their way into your other secure accounts or systems, such as your business accounts. It’s simple tactics like this that can quickly lead to the collapse of the whole company’s network. To combat these cyberattacks and increase cyber security, companies have developed different strategies that can make you feel more confident against the ever-evolving concerns surrounding cybersecurity. In this article, you’ll see essential cybersecurity tips that can help your business stay ahead of the curve by defending against malicious cyberattacks and securing your data. STRONG PASSWORDS AND TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION Strong passwords are important for personal use, but they are even more vital in businesses. A strong password should be something that the user can easily remember yet challenging enough that an attacker cannot guess. The cliché of using a birthday or pet name is far too easy to guess because that information can be obtained through a quick Google search. Passwords should have at least eight characters, upper and lower case letters, numbers and even a special character such as a question mark or exclamation point. For added security, businesses should consider implementing two-factor authentication. When attempting to log in to a businessrelated account using your password, the system will send you a second code to your phone — usually through a text message or an email — to enter as well. Using two-factor authentication reduces the chance of a cyberattack because the attacker would need two separate pieces of information in order to access your account. Creating strong passwords and using two-factor authentication can greatly reduce the avenues that attackers can pursue and are a great first line of defense. 24
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