It’s an unfortunate truth, but data leaks and the compromising of personal and customer data is something that just now happens on a daily basis. Organizations of all sizes are being attacked, while their valuable data is being leaked and sold over and over again on the dark web.
Another reason for concern, is the vast collection of threats that lie within the dark web and how they are making their way into the mainstream and silently affecting us all on a daily basis.
Millions of hackers, bots, and threats continue increasing their reach and complexity, thus making it harder for organizations to stay ahead of the curve while keeping their customer data and businesses safe. Even when using anti-virus software and the latest data protection technology, it’s still a struggle to stay ahead of the threats on a daily basis.
The good news is, there are plenty of simple and effective ways to stay protected. And with this in mind, today we are going to highlight five extremely effective ways for online businesses to further protect themselves from malware attacks, data leaks, and virus threats, while also keeping their valuable customer data safe.
1. Use an All-in-One Security and Protection Suite
Keeping your business and customer data safe is no longer just about making sure you aren’t downloading shady looking files, email attachments, and staying away from dangerous sites. Now it’s about keeping all components of your business safe while making sure you have active monitoring and protection in place at all times.
Of the many different ways to protect an online business and brand, having an all-in-one solution in place is definitely the most beneficial.
A perfect example of such an all-in-one solution is Vipre. The benefits of using such a solution are that it protects businesses and organizations from all different angles and threats of all types, while also continually updating with the latest precautions against new threats and looming malware that might not have gotten mainstream and media attention yet.
When it comes to finding the right solution to protect your business or brand, Vipre has done a great job of focusing on the following areas and protection features.
- ENDPOINT PROTECTION
Powerful endpoint security delivering protection against today’s most sophisticated online threats - EMAIL PROTECTION
Unparalleled protection from advanced email threats delivered from the convenience of a cloud-based architecture - NETWORK PROTECTION
Real-time threat intelligence and the industry’s premier sandbox for next-gen malware analysis - USER & DATA PROTECTION
Solutions that protect users, their actions, and sensitive business information from costly attacks and data breaches
As mentioned earlier, the main benefit to using a solution that can continually monitor, update, and remove your business from such unwanted attacks, is knowing that you are in protection mode at all times.
It’s no longer enough to just monitor your software, email, or network to make sure it’s running at full speed and uninterrupted. It’s now a necessity to make sure all platforms and potential entry points are protected today, tomorrow, and forever.
2. Use Your Work Email for Work Email Only
One of the most obvious ways to keep your business and brand-safe is to make sure you are using your work email for just work-related communications and tasks. And while this might seem quite obvious to CEOs and business owners, it might not be for team members and virtual employees with their own email or business access.
This means no matter where or how you access your work email, it’s important to make sure you are using it only for business. This includes using your professional email for communications to only business-related contacts, and not using it to access other websites or accounts.
As highlighted by TripWire, “Sophisticated email phishing attacks are one of the top cybersecurity threats. Phishing attacks account for more than 80% of reported security incidents and lead to estimated losses of $17,700 every minute!” and some of the latest email and phishing attacks are using Covid-19 to draw more attention from unsuspecting users.
With billions of emails being sent around the world daily, and random spam being a great majority of it, the last thing you want is for your business email to become a cesspool for spam, bot mail and potential threats.
3. Update All Computer Software and Internet Applications
With new viruses and malware applications getting smarter and more complex on a daily basis, it’s through the use of outdated software and web applications that these threats can work their way into businesses and accounts of all types and sizes.
And when we say they are getting “smart and more complex”, this is happening at an extremely fast and frightening rate.
As more people log on to the internet, start websites and create new accounts, this ultimately leads to more opportunities for hackers, bots, and terror networks to focus on what they do best — which is creating more in-depth and harmful malware and viruses that scour across the internet.
Business News Daily recently had an article on this same topic, which went on to say the following:
“We’re literally being bombarded by new malware to the tune of 200,000 new malware each and every single day, and that’s on a good day,” said Pierluigi Stella, chief technology officer at managed security services firm Network Box USA. “During an outbreak, we see that number escalate, sometimes close to 1 million.”
However, while these numbers are alarming, this is just another reason why it’s so important to have an all-in-one security solution that is continually scanning for the latest threats, bugs and viruses taking down vulnerable computers, laptops and mobile devices.
Stay Up to Date on the Latest Malware and Virus News
In addition to keeping your software and internet applications up to date, it’s important to make sure your employees and team members are aware of the potential threats out there as well. Not only will this keep everyone in the loop on what is going on in the world of data leaks and online threats, but it will also let everyone know what to keep an eye out for.
The more knowledgeable your organization is about how to protect themselves, their personal and professional accounts, and online browsing habits, the more likely they are to keep your business and customer data protected at the same time.
In summary, for businesses and organizations around the world, every day is another opportunity for hackers, bots, and threats to cause detrimental harm. However, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself, while also keeping important customer data safe. By implementing each of the recommended solutions above, businesses and brands of all sizes can better protect themselves, while also being able to sleep more comfortably at night knowing they have all of the necessary precautions in place.
