Cyber Crime Prevention Tips for a Successful Business

Successful businesses today are taking advantage of what the internet has to offer them. Online retailers and other online business count on the internet for success. Traditional brick and mortar businesses also need to be connected to the internet for success. It is something that consumers not only expect, but are demanding.

Businesses have ramped up their efforts to utilize all that the internet has to offer, but they often forget about one of the most crucial aspects of having an online presence. They do not always address security on the internet.

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Information that is on the internet never really goes away. It is often floating in cyberspace. The large amount of information that can be found on the internet has led many criminals to search for it. They are looking for private information that they can use to further their own greed.

They enjoy wreaking havoc anonymously on others, thanks to the stealth that the internet can offer. Authorities can try to track down the cyber criminals, but this can be difficult and often only happens after that have destroyed a business.

That puts the responsibility to protect the public somewhere else. It is up to the business and to the customers of the business to make sure they know how to prevent cyber-crime. The business can use these tips to help them avoid becoming a victim of a hacking attempt by a cyber-criminal.

How to Protect from the Cyber-Threats

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The key to stopping cyber-criminals is to realize how they are able to commit their crimes. If you know how the criminal is going to attack, you can put up the defenses that will stop them. These are some of the common methods that cyber-criminals use and how to prevent them.

• Email – The threat of malicious software and cyber-crime through email is not new. For many years’ people have been told not to open any email that comes from an unknown source. They have been told not to click on any links in emails. Other problems with emails occur when hackers get their hands on the emails that contain sensitive information about a business. Cyber-criminals will continue to utilize emails to commit their crimes so it is up to the business to make sure they are doing what they have to do to keep email safe. Encryption software for email can add a layer of protection that makes criminals look somewhere else. Anti-malware software to improve cyber security with the help of intrusion prevention detection system can help make sure that a malicious email that is received does not cause any damage to the business.

• Continued Training – The messages that have to be delivered to the employees are not new. They need to be taught how to create strong passwords and how to change the passwords on a regular basis. They need to understand the dangers of emails and how they can safely use the internet. They need to be told to make sure that their computers are locked and password protected. All employees should be trained on cyber security when they are hired, when new systems are put into place and throughout their time of employment with a business. The employees also need to be monitored to make sure they are following the security policies in place, that they are using the right tools and that they are not jeopardizing the business by opening up holes for cyber-criminals to crawl through. If any employee is making mistakes, more training should occur.

• Take Advantage of Malware Protection – There are plenty of anti-malware software programs available that are tailored for business uses. The software is one of the most effective tools that a business has to stop a cyber-crime before it happens. The software is not perfect. It is possible that a cyber-criminal may find a way around the software, but that is not the biggest problem that a business will have in making the software work. A cyber-criminal will often avoid a business that has any type of malware protection in place and look for someone that does not have it. In order for a business to use malware software they need to make sure of these things:
  • The employees know how to use it
  • The software must be kept up to date
  • The software must be used on all computers that the business and its employees are using
  • The software must be turned on

What Are the Crucial Cyber Security Prevention Steps?

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If these things are not done, even the best malware protection won’t work.

• Protection from Cyber-Crime in the Cloud – The attacks on individual employees and their computers can be dangerous, but the increased reliance on the cloud makes this an even bigger threat. The cloud offers phone systems sharing of information and storage of data for a business that can help the business run more efficiently and make the business more successful with apps. The problem is that cyber-criminals are working to hack into the information a business has put in the cloud. Free cloud antivirus for better security can encrypt the information and can protect it in other ways. Like any other type of malware protection, it only works if the business and the employees use it.

Cyber-criminals are not any different from the criminals that do their work face to face. They are not going to work hard to commit their crime. They are going to look for the easiest path to commit their crime.

A criminal that is breaking into a home is most likely to find the one person that left their doors unlocked. A business needs to tackle cyber-crime prevention in the same way a person protects their home. They need to lock their doors.

All of the things above are designed to make it harder for the criminal to attack a business. None of the tools can completely prevent a cyber-crime from happening, but they can make a business a less likely target for the hackers.

These steps can accomplish that, but the business must be ever vigilant. If they leave the locks to the business’s cyber world unlocked one time, that may all the cyber-criminal needs. It is up to the business to make sure the doors are always locked.

How much responsibility does business have to prevent cyber-crime? What is the role of the individual? What are the best ways to prevent cyber-crime? If you have the answers to these questions or if you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions, take a minute and share them with us.