Modern businesses face modern problems. With the rise of e-commerce comes the increased
reliance on technology and an ever increasing risk of encountering hackers. Implementing
technological solutions into your business model is a necessity in order to compete, meaning that
you can’t feasibly opt out of these difficulties. However, you can improve your odds of success by
learning about the basics. These are the tips you’ll need to secure your business tech.
Consultation
One of the most important aspects of cybersecurity is its complexity. Technology is complicated
enough to the average person, and cybersecurity entails a wide variety of different tools and
techniques, making it infinitely more difficult to understand, at least for the uninitiated. The first
step to building a comprehensive cybersecurity system for your company is to consult with, or flat
out hire, a consultant that can guide the process of installing the various devices and programs
that will keep your network safe.
Login Security
One of the biggest blind spots in cybersecurity has long been the password. While they have
been used for centuries, what little power passwords once had doesn’t stand a chance against
the capabilities and tools of modern hackers. Passwords are too easily guessed with only a few
key data points about the owner of the password can point hackers in the right direction, and
machine assisted “brute forcing” can make a completely unknown password just a matter of time
to crack. Because of these limitations, recent cybersecurity technology has been focused on
reducing the presence and importance of passwords in a network setting.
For example, the Zero Trust model of cybersecurity is based on the idea of needing to use your
password to login to the system for each individual process, rather than as a one time thing. On
the other hand, multi factor authentication provides an additional layer of security that often
thwarts hackers even after a password becomes compromised. Even using MFA, it’s also
important that any passwords that are in use are not easily guessed. Gibberish that’s difficult for
you to remember is just as hard for others to guess, making it a much more effective password.
Consumer Protections
Part of the reason that businesses are often targeted by hackers is the huge amount of
customers’ private data that is exchanged and recorded during e-commerce. This means that one
of the most important ways to protect your business is to protect its loyal customers. This begins
with your company website. Encryption and decryption are utterly foundational to online security,
but they’re not built into the internet as you know it. Rather, this vital security measure is an
additional feature that you’ll need to pay for. Without encryption protocols, data exchanged on
your website can easily be intercepted by hackers, and your site will also be extremely vulnerable
to unauthorized access, up to and including altering your website and uploading malware.
On the other hand, mobile apps account for a growing percentage of e-commerce transactions,
and the widespread use of API to shorten the development cycle for e-commerce apps has
introduced a conundrum similar to that of website security. Because APIs are publicly available,
hackers can research them in order to find exploitable weaknesses that they can use to attack
businesses and their customers. APIs make developing an app for your business more affordable
and timely, but it also necessitates API security in order to benefit your business without harming
your customers.
Network Security
In addition to protecting your customers, you’ll also need to protect your company and its staff.
This begins with various pieces of software. For example, a business network needs to have
software in place with which you can monitor traffic in order to anticipate attacks by observing
strange activity and tracking the IP address attached to that behavior. Likewise, businesses need
intrusion detection and prevention software with which to react to an attack in progress as quickly
as possible.
That’s not to downplay the importance of the basics, however. Antimalware is a necessary
component of any cybersecurity system, for example. However, the basics alone won’t cut it
when hackers are actively targeting your company, and no single piece of software will ever be
enough. However, implementing a VPN will be one of the most impactful pieces of technology at
your disposal, because VPNs obscure your own IP address, giving hackers one less thing to
track in order to obtain your data. Additionally, VPNs often include other cybersecurity features,
increasing their value within your security system.
Protecting a business and its customers from hackers in the digital age is an uphill battle. There
are countless different methods and tools available to hackers, and just as many that consumers
need to arm themselves with. These tips can make the whole thing just a little bit more
manageable so you can protect your business.
