Imagine two groups at war. One defends against every attack as it comes. The other anticipates threats before they happen. Which is more likely to win?
The same thing can be said about cybersecurity. Responding to attacks as they happen is important, but it's even more vital to anticipate the inevitability of a cyberattack and adjust your tactics according.
Below are a handful of helpful tips discussing how to prevent cyberattacks with this strategy in mind.
Raising Paranoia
Fear can be a powerful motivator; and when it comes to cybersecurity, there is plenty to be afraid of including malware attacks, phishing scams and data breaches. Unfortunately, many web users are unaware of these threats or foolishly assume cyber crooks won't target them.
Do your best to instill a healthy sense of paranoia by hosting cybersecurity training sessions. Cyber threats are lurking everywhere, by teaching your employees to stay sharp; you can drastically reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
Bring on the Bots
Even with routine training sessions, employees can sometimes miss red flags and allow hackers to run amok on your network. Your staff is only human after all.
But what if you could bring on an artificial intelligence platform to help you resist the hackers? Well, that's exactly what some organizations are doing. Adopting AI in the fight against cybercrime, businesses can now block cyberattacks with greater precision. Admittedly, these solutions do cost a pretty penny, so research them thoroughly to make sure they're right for you before committing to anything.
Staying Up to Date
While movies and the media tend to portray hackers as malicious super geniuses hell-bent on going after the most challenging rivals, the truth of the matter is that most cyber crooks take aim at easy targets. And one of the easiest targets in the world is a computer or device employing outdated software plug-ins.
Software developers consistently release security patches to eliminate defense gaps. When you ignore software update prompts, you increase your chances of being hacked.
It will also benefit your organization to stay up to date on all the latest cybersecurity news. Take a little time each week to read about data breaches, security trends and common vulnerabilities. After all, that's what hackers are reading every day!
Preparing a Contingency Plan
The military philosopher Sun Tzu said, \"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.\"
Once your network has been breached, your fight against cybercrime shifts focus to responding to the incident. As such, companies with an incident response plan will fare much better than organizations without direction in this regard.
Invite leaders and managers throughout your organization to help craft an incident response plan that includes reporting the incident, isolating the device or network, preventing secondary attacks and expunging the threat from your systems. Remember to share this plan with your employees during your next training session.
Establishing a Safety Net
As you might expect, recovering from a cyberattack or data breach is very expensive. In addition to covering the cost of getting your network back up and running, you may also need to foot the bill for record recovery, credit monitoring and (heaven forbid) legal fees.
To prevent cyberattacks from crippling your finances, invest in cyber threat insurance from CyberPolicy. Get your free personalized quote today!
