Your Business
10.06.22
Cyber security could mean the difference between a thriving business and a struggling one
Your livelihood, your business’ very reputation depends upon it. Imagine your customers with their data compromised, the same data they trusted you with. What would that do to your bottom line? Chances are, your business would slide from thriving to merely surviving in a handful of months, if not weeks.
The good news is you and your employees can take steps to protect your business, and here are a few simple ways:
Follow proper password and email procedures – Phishing is one of the most prominent techniques for hackers to gain access to vital business information, such as bank account and credit card numbers. What’s more, they’ll often try to trick employees to obtain network login data and even personal information, such as social security numbers.
By appearing to be a trusted source, a hacker might send an email posing to be a vendor, asking for updated login data or payment information. They then might ask you to click a link or visit a website, or even to download an email attachment. If any doubt, don’t do it and contact the company via proven methods.
Another vital step to the proper security is making it a requirement for your employees to create long, intricate network passwords and to change them every few months. The best passwords consist of at least one upper-case letter, numbers and symbols like # and &.
Be on the lookout for typosquatting – This is when hackers create nearly identical looking websites to the original and give them domains with common misspellings. For example, you might have a company who has a website at www.fponline.com and with one simple erroneous entry of www.fpoonline.com, a user ends up at a fraudulent site fully designed to gather login data and spread harmful malware. Also, and especially if a fraudulent ecommerce site, payment information can be gathered and used for nefarious purposes.
So always check the web address closely and make certain your business doesn’t have typosquatters. A good rule of thumb is to register the domains of any possible misspellings close to your correct web address so no attackers can exploit your valuable customers or damage your reputation.
Install the latest security patches and updates – As computer vulnerabilities and viruses are discovered, a patch or update will be issued. When this occurs, take the time and install them immediately. The same goes for Mac environments, and don’t forget to constantly back-up your data in preparation for worst-case scenarios.
Enroll in services that protect your business – Many banks offer Treasury Management services that can help minimize fraud. For example, Atlantic Union Bank offers Positive Pay, which helps mitigate check fraud and keep your bottom line healthy and happy. A little forethought on the front-end can alleviate costly headaches on the back-end.
The good news is you and your employees can take steps to protect your business, and here are a few simple ways:
Follow proper password and email procedures – Phishing is one of the most prominent techniques for hackers to gain access to vital business information, such as bank account and credit card numbers. What’s more, they’ll often try to trick employees to obtain network login data and even personal information, such as social security numbers.
By appearing to be a trusted source, a hacker might send an email posing to be a vendor, asking for updated login data or payment information. They then might ask you to click a link or visit a website, or even to download an email attachment. If any doubt, don’t do it and contact the company via proven methods.
Another vital step to the proper security is making it a requirement for your employees to create long, intricate network passwords and to change them every few months. The best passwords consist of at least one upper-case letter, numbers and symbols like # and &.
Be on the lookout for typosquatting – This is when hackers create nearly identical looking websites to the original and give them domains with common misspellings. For example, you might have a company who has a website at www.fponline.com and with one simple erroneous entry of www.fpoonline.com, a user ends up at a fraudulent site fully designed to gather login data and spread harmful malware. Also, and especially if a fraudulent ecommerce site, payment information can be gathered and used for nefarious purposes.
So always check the web address closely and make certain your business doesn’t have typosquatters. A good rule of thumb is to register the domains of any possible misspellings close to your correct web address so no attackers can exploit your valuable customers or damage your reputation.
Install the latest security patches and updates – As computer vulnerabilities and viruses are discovered, a patch or update will be issued. When this occurs, take the time and install them immediately. The same goes for Mac environments, and don’t forget to constantly back-up your data in preparation for worst-case scenarios.
Enroll in services that protect your business – Many banks offer Treasury Management services that can help minimize fraud. For example, Atlantic Union Bank offers Positive Pay, which helps mitigate check fraud and keep your bottom line healthy and happy. A little forethought on the front-end can alleviate costly headaches on the back-end.