Businesses will face several risks in 2022, from pandemic outbreaks to continued business interruptions, but according to Allianz Risk Barometer, cyber incidents are the top threat. What’s creating the risk spike? Ransomware.
Ransomware attacks like WannaCry and NotPetya cost the victims more than $4 billion according to WebTitan. They have shown just how devastating cyber incidents can be, and they’re only going to become more common in the years ahead.
In the past, cyber incidents mainly targeted large businesses, but now they’re also targeting small businesses and individual users due to increased digitalization and remote working.
While our firm handles the communications around cyber incidents and data breaches, here’s some advice based on what we’ve seen for how to safeguard your company from facing these issues in the first place.
To protect yourself from cyber threats, you need to build cyber resilience. In this post, we’ll share 5 tips on how to do that.
But First: What’s Ransomware and Why Care?
Ransomware is a type of cyberattack that locks you out of your computer or data until you pay the attacker a ransom.
The ransomware can take many different forms, from encrypting your files to locking your screen or even spying on you by taking over your webcam.
So how do you protect yourself from the attacks and build cyber resilience? Here are five tips:
1. Be Careful What You Put In Writing
Don’t take your internet security for granted and put things into writing that you wouldn’t want your worst enemy to see — not just emails, but watch out for those text messages!
If secret information about your business or personal life falls into the hands of hackers, they may not be looking for a simple payout but may use it as leverage for blackmail.
2. Don’t Fall Victim To Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are fake emails that try to trick you into giving away your personal information, like your username and password, or getting ransomware onto your device.
They usually look very official, with the branding of a well-known company or organization. When you open the attachment or link, you download malware or ransomware onto your computer.
How do you know if an email is a phishing scam?
There are a few ways to tell, but the easiest way is to hover your mouse over the link (without clicking on it) or the email address and see where it’s taking you. If the website doesn’t match the company’s website that the email is pretending to be from, don’t click on anything.
If you’re still unsure, contact the company directly using their official website or phone number and ask if they recently sent an email to you. If they didn’t, delete it right away!
For more proven tips on how to prepare for crises, craft your message, and mitigate the damage of a crisis, check out our Crisis PR Guides.
3. Make Sure Your Passwords Are Strong
Cybercriminals use software to guess weak passwords in seconds (or even milliseconds) and use the login information leaked on the dark web to test if you’re using the same password for multiple accounts.
How do you make sure your password game is strong?
First, don’t use a single password for several accounts.
Second, enable two-factor authentication. So even if they get their hands on your password, they won’t be able to log in to your account without entering a code you receive via text message or email first.
4. Keep Your Software Up-To-Date
A lot of cyberattacks take advantage of vulnerabilities in software.
These vulnerabilities can be anything from a bug that allows hackers to access your system or an unpatched hole in the operating system itself. This also applies to antivirus software!
The good news is most software companies release updates regularly to fix these vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them.
The bad news is many people don’t install these updates right away (or at all).
So, ensure it’s running on your computer and keep it updated.
5. Hire An IT & Security Expert
It’s hard to keep up to date on all of the trends, so most companies turn to IT & security firms to safeguard their brand. They recognize that it’s a small investment to make to protect themselves against a cyber threat that could lose you years of time, money, and effort.
Click here or give us a call at (310) 396-8696 for a FREE 15-minute consultation to find out how we can help you deal with emerging issues and anticipate likely crises before they hit your business.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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