Is Your Organisation Neglecting These 5 Cybersecurity Best Practices?

Failing to regularly scan your network for vulnerabilities

It only takes one vulnerability for a hacker to gain access to your network. Hackers can identify hundreds of new vulnerabilities every month on the web, making it as easy as a simple scan to hack a network. Organisations should regularly scan their networks to detect any vulnerabilities and fix them immediately. Most compliance requirements stipulate scanning networks on a quarterly basis, but organisations should actually conduct a monthly scan.

Lack of experts to run scans and manage network security

All organisations, whether large or small, face tight budgets when it comes to IT security, and it often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. However, the losses an organisation will face from a breach will most likely exceed the initial spend on cybersecurity. Whether you hire a cybersecurity expert, employee, or third-party vendor, your organisation should have someone responsible for network protection 24/7. The person in charge will be updated on any changes and responsible for performing updates and scans to ensure network safety at all times. Small organisations can work with a reliable third-party security firm on a regular basis, while larger organisations may want to invest in a team of IT experts or work on a retainer basis with a cybersecurity firm.

No protocols for bringing personal devices to work

Do your employees bring their personal laptops to work or send company emails from their smartphones? This could be a potential threat as most employees are not IT-trained, and their devices are often not updated with the latest antivirus or have no antivirus installed at all. If your organisation does not impose strict protocols on bringing personal devices to work, it can be an open invitation to spyware and viruses. Policies should be clear, indicating what type of devices are acceptable at work, how much data the organisation will monitor, and a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) cybersecurity audit should be conducted to understand your team's IT vulnerabilities and take actions to avoid malicious attacks.

Employees have not undergone cybersecurity training

It is understandable that your employees are not meant to be IT experts or have knowledge of cybersecurity, and this is entirely normal. Cyber breaches are not only happening to IT companies, but across all industries. You may think that running scans and installing antivirus software is enough, but empowering your employees with basic cybersecurity training such as learning how to detect a phishing email can save your organisation a lot of money and trouble later on.

No IT protocols for employee termination or departure

Although most employees will not think of doing harm to your organisation after their departure, you should not take that risk, especially if it is due to termination. Your organisation should always have a policy in place when an employee leaves, such as informing the relevant IT staff right away and revoking access to company data and systems. If your organisation does not have an IT department to implement such policies, start by creating an IT checklist for offboarding beforehand.

No organisation is completely immune to cyber breaches as hackers outsmart defence systems and find new ways to hack your network. By keeping your guard up at all times and working with a reliable cybersecurity partner, you will greatly reduce exposure to cyber risks. At Pragma, we offer pragmatic solutions that cater to your organisation's current cybersecurity position and provide incident response services should a breach occur. Contact experts at Pragma to learn more.