As our world becomes less paper based and more digital, concerns about cyber-attacks and data breaches have become a real concern for not just individuals but for businesses as well.
We can all think about a time when our personal computer malfunctioned due to a virus or malware and the frustrations that come with losing important data and information that has been stored on our computer. Also, think about the frustration we have had when we receive an email from our bank or a place that we have shopped asking us to reset our password because there has been a security breach of some sort.
Now multiple that feeling exponentially and you will see why businesses shouldn’t overlook the importance of computer security. Business are responsible for thousands of user data, depending on their market. The increase for data breaches and hacks comes when computers open themselves up to intrusions. Few people realize that just by getting on the web makes their computer susceptible to attacks.
Data breaches
Initial attacks and data breaches are significant but more vital is what attackers do with the information that they steal. Attackers have stolen personal identification, bank account information, tax IDs and used them in very large scale illegal schemes. That is an important thing for businesses to consider as many move over to cloud systems.
Many businesses have been a little sceptical of moving their servers completely over to cloud systems because they are worried about the potential for increases in data breaches. However, it is now widely accepted that the security afforded by cloud storage facilities is more extensive than that of traditional hard drives and servers.
They also come complete with additional support, such as 24-hour customer support and automatic updates which helps ensure that systems are running on the most current versions of an application. Keeping applications and programming up to date is also very important when it comes to computer security.
Choose your spyware, malware, anti-virus software carefully
When it comes to personal computer use, many individuals trust in the software that comes on their computer and do not invest in other software that keeps their computer safe from external attacks but that is the wrong approach to take. It very important to invest in cyber security packages and even more important to keep them updated.
Users forget that updating your software is significant, it isn’t enough to just have the security but you need to ensure that it is working the way that it should. User knowledge on the risks of the Internet is a great first step in keeping your personal data safe. This also can be applied to businesses as well. Their users should understand the basics and what to look out for while online and remain ahead of the curve.
If you are a user of the internet or even just have an email address that you have probably received spam asking for you to follow a link for one thing or another. Those emails are pretty obvious and we know to stay away from them. But attackers are becoming smarter and more strategic and those emails are starting to look identical to emails that come from our banks, our credit card companies and other online secured accounts. As a user we also need to remain smart and understand that any business that we deal with will never send or ask for vital information over email.
Ask for help if you suspect your network is under attack
f you receive these kinds of attack attempts do not be afraid to reach out to that accounts customer support teams directly to find out the validity of those emails. Or better still, consult an IT support specialist.
As digital technology continues to grow and both businesses and individuals become dependent on them it becomes even more vital for all parties to keep their computers and data supremely secure.
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