5 Warning Signs Your Company Data And Information May Be At Risk
One of the most cherished things held by individuals is their personal information. Information privacy is key to ensuring safety. The security measure is fundamental to all businesses wanting to drive sales and profits.
It’s even more applicable to consumer-centric companies entrusted with the duty of keeping buyers’ information safe. For instance, healthcare companies have to undergo HIPAA security risk assessment to safeguard data and ensure the safety of patients’ data.
Regardless, many of the recorded cases of cyberattacks occur simply because the signs of possible breaches were ignored. Cyber predators pry into a company’s data storage weakness and capitalize on it to carry out a successful attack.
As a preventive measure, companies must pay close attention to working on possible signs of data and information risk. Here are some of the warning signs your company data and information may be at risk:
- Outdated Technological Devices
Cyberattacks easily penetrate outdated technological devices. The ease is because hackers have sophisticated tools. Their systems are updated and improved to execute cyber breaches. By contrast, companies hardly spend on technological upgrades due to the need to cut costs and maximize profits.
Therefore, your company should upgrade all software and computer devices to meet standards. At the introduction of the newest software or upgrade, you must update the features of all operating systems and devices.
It’s also suggested to purchase a newer version of devices to replace the outdated ones rather than repair them. The signs are there; it’s up to you to take them up and rectify them accordingly.
- Older Records Of Data And Information Breach
Channels through which the previous records of cyberattack occurred still stand as a sure means of accessing your company data and information. Hence, take action, following the ‘once bitten, twice shy’ anecdote. Check out why such a route was susceptible to cyberattacks and implement strategies to put an end to an impending risk on your data and information.
- Incompetent Workers
In every company, the weakest link is the employees. Less-informed and less-skilled workers can take drastic security actions since they’re often ignorant of the consequences. Also, hackers can easily influence them to click on malicious links that can harm your company’s security infrastructure.
The truth is that incompetence isn’t entirely the workers’ fault. One thing is to recruit employees that fit your job descriptions based on certifications; another is to hire highly-skilled employees with a wealth of experience in the field. The latter is more practice-based and can guarantee proper security compliance.
Either way, it’s your responsibility to ensure that employees are thoroughly trained in security measures. That way, they can identify scams, unverified links, and websites camouflaging as the real deal.
- Incorporating Shared Official Accounts
Despite the relative ease involved, adopting shared user accounts will fault the automation processes protecting the company’s data and information.
Shared accounts serve as a potential risk for all saved data. Official accounts, when shared through the use of the same passwords, allow for access to confidential details.
Employees’ curiosity can be put to the test when there’s an open room opportunity to access confidential files. Additionally, shared accounts give a retiring employee a wealth of corporate information that can be traded for no value beyond the company’s walls.
If the use of shared accounts is compulsory, stringent policies and monitoring must guide them. However, as a measure, avoid using shared official accounts to prevent putting your company at risk of data and information breaches.
- Bad Network
This is directly linked to the regular upgrade of your devices. The presence of a bad network can signify that your company data and information are at significant risk—a substantial risk in the sense that it could indicate a virus is already in one of your databases.
Ransomeware does the work of downloading many undetectable programs. This leads to a drawback in your Internet speed, making your operational functions regrettable and unproductive if not resolved.
It’s not wrong to make the first guess that a bad network could indicate bad server connectivity. But, it’s more security-conscious to think that a bad network can mean the presence of a virus in one of your databases or systems.
Final Thoughts
A company’s data and information are properties that represent confidential details. They contain ethics, values, financial transactions, product recipes, account passwords, and reports of clients, stakeholders, workers, and buyers. Any sign posing a threat to the protection and privacy of any of these must be avoided as a matter of urgency.
