Every online-based business has significant responsibility when it comes to protecting the company and customer data. Overlooking cyber-security has dire consequences and companies that suffer an attack are less likely to survive the aftermath. But what do we know about these threats? How well-prepared are you to ensure that your site does not get infiltrated by suspicious activity?
What are these security risks?
Risks can vary from one company to another and usually depends on the kind of business you operate. Here are three of the most dangerous effects of becoming the victim of a cyber-attack.
Compromised proprietary and private data. Companies today gather all kinds of data from consumers and use them in various processes. Ecommerce websites that sell products and services, gaming sites like online bingo games, even media websites that handle subscriptions all collect and store payment details and other private information from consumers. Many attacks focus on attempting to get this information to defraud owners. If this happens, the company will be liable for the damages and in turn will also lose their customer’s trust.
Substantial recovery cost. To say that falling victim to a security breach costs money is an understatement. Even if your company manages to survive an attack, the financial consequences will continue for years to come.
Damaged reputation. One of the biggest negative effects of a cyber-attack is its impact on the company’s reputation. It will take years before you can regain the trust of your previous clients and at the same time, rebuild your reputation enough to attract a new customer base.
Preventive measures to avoid these problems are worth the investment. If you want to know more about how you can protect your business, here are some suggestions.
- Conduct regular testing using web security tools
- Protect the transfer of data using HTTPS
- Strengthen encryption
- Regularly update and resolve software bugs
- Enhance security by installing plugins
- Fight XSS attacks using CSP
- Always have protection to prevent SQL injections
Protecting your website is not limited to these suggestions. Of course, there are other ways to ensure that your site security is airtight. Most importantly, it is also essential that every employee knows and applies the best practices to prevent these threats.
Do you need to outsource website security?
In-house approaches to security may be sufficient at times, but will not be the perfect solution. There are advanced ways such as deploying an intelligent computer program that will not only prevent outsiders but also insiders from engaging in malicious activity.
Many online-based small businesses today are quite inefficient in protecting their information. The problem is, many of these businesses think that they will not be a target for attack. On the contrary, every company that operates online is at risk. By adopting both basic and advanced methods of cybersecurity, it is possible to prevent these attacks. And, when you do become the target, being well-prepared is the only way you can ensure that you will thwart the attack and possibly survive its aftermath.