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Small Business Administration’s Cyber Security Keys

Small Business Administration’s Cyber Security Keys

Did you know that the first week of May was National Small Business Week? Colden Company attended the Small Business Administration’s Virtual Summit on Cyber Security for small businesses. 65% of small businesses do not trust their cyber security. Cyber threats are real and increasing in number and severity and small business is statistically more apt to become a victim of hackers. So, what does the Government’s Small Business Administration recommend? Here are the key take aways:

• Use strong passwords. Password length is important and use unique passwords for different sites. Password managers can be beneficial.

• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. MFA exponentially improves security when implemented.

• Lock your computer when you leave it. If possible, have a policy in place to automatically lock computers after inactive time.

• Encrypt devices wherever possible. Mobile devices and laptops in particular are vulnerable to theft. Encryption protects the data on the devices.

• Manage your mobile devices to protect them as well. In today’s world mobile devices contain business data and often roam outside the perimeter defenses. They should be managed.

• Keep your systems and software patched. Software patches are released for a reason. Bad actors will often try to exploit vulnerabilities that have recently been patched counting on the fact that users will not keep their systems current. Have a system in place to keep operating systems and software patched.

• User education is important. Users are the number one risk area according to an FBI study. All the technology in the world can’t stop a user making a poor decision. User education has a large impact on overall security. Have phishing simulations for your users and educate the “clickers”.

• Have an incident response plan. The time to plan your reaction to a security breach is not during an actual breach. Prepare ahead of time so there is an established response protocol.

• Have good backups. When all else fails, have rock solid backups. If your data is backed up and protected, you can recover.

Colden Company has security certified professionals on staff and can assist your business in protecting itself from hackers and threats. Contact us at (888) 600-4560 or via email at info@coldencompany.com .

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