In today's world, technology is constantly changing and becoming more important to our day to day lives, both in and out of the office. This unfortunately also means the cybercrime business is constantly changing and growing.
There are many types of cyberattacks you need to guard against. Criminals may try to steal sensitive business data with the intention of selling that information to competitors or other hackers. They may also try to steal your employees' or customers' personal information for the same reason.
Some cyberattacks aren't meant to steal data but are meant to damage your business. Criminals may try to install ransomware which will lock you out of your own data until you pay their demands. They might also launch a denial-of-service attack where hackers overwhelm your site with millions of data requests until it can no longer function.
When it comes to these cyberattacks, it's not a matter of if you will be hit with one of them but a matter of when. It is important to constantly be aware of the new cyberattacks that are out there as well as constantly updating and patching your software and equipment. Unfortunately no matter how good your security policies, software, and equipment might be, your weakest link is your employees.
The most important thing is to make sure employees are receiving training so that they know what to look out for when it comes to the various types of cyberattacks. In most cases, it is the employees who open the company's network to these types of attacks. Often times it is by mistake simply because an employee did not know the warning signs to look for prior to opening an email attachment or clicking a link in an email. Security training can help inform your employees of what to look for in emails so they can help to protect the company's network as well as themselves in their personal lives.
For all employees, make sure your cybersecurity policies are crystal clear. Include a statement in your employment handbook informing employees that their communications and company data are stored in a backup system, and that you reserve the right to monitor and examine all company computers and emails. When these monitoring systems are in place, any suspicious activity will determine when they should be used.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when it comes to your employees and cybercrime. Most employees are honest but it only takes one person making one mistake to compromise your company's network and data.