Think Like A Hacker, Protect Like A Pro

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In physical spaces, companies rely on security guards and cameras. They place these measures in areas thieves are likely to target. Cameras point to expensive products. Security guards stand at possible entrance points. Systems like these were built by getting into the minds of thieves.

But, when you take business online, internet security becomes the primary priority. Here, instead of security guards, you’ll have anti-virus software to take care of matters. But, with big companies such as Yahoo still falling foul to breaches, it’s easy to see that anti-virus software isn’t enough. It’s possible, in fact, that the best way to beat breaches online is to get into the headspace of hackers. Just as you would in a physical store, you should think about where such individuals will target you. That way, you can put much more informed protections in place.

Of course, most of us have had years of dealing with thieves. But, hackers are a whole new breed. What’s more, few of us get to watch them in action. While thieves are right there for us to study and understand, hackers operate under a veil of secrecy. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t at least go some way towards getting into the mindset. And, we’re going to look at how.

Work out which information matters most

You don’t need to understand what hackers do to realize that they only target specific information. They’re unlikely to care, for instance, about how many views your page has received that day. Instead, they’re going to target your more vulnerable information. For the most part, that means they’ll go after any credit card details you store. Email listings and customer addresses may also be points of interest. In short; all the information that you want to keep as safe as possible.

When you’ve worked out exactly what hackers are after, it’s time to spread those details thin in your storage files. That way, you’ll make life much harder for potential hackers. And, you can rest easy that a breach in one area won’t compromise everything. Once you’ve spread the information, consider ways to increase security in vulnerable areas. Obviously, you want to protect your site as a whole. Any breach is going to bring a hacker closer to this information than you’d like them to be. But, it’s worth taking extra measures with these files. It’s the only way to be sure they’re as safe as can be.

Know your security weak spots

It’s also essential that you recognize your weak security spots, and strengthen them. Before attempting to breach, any hacker will suss your business and find their in-point. This is no different from thieves who aim for the back door. The only problem is, you can’t just stick up a CCTV camera and have done with it. But, that doesn’t mean you’re helpless. If you know about these vulnerable areas, you can take extra care to keep them protected. Often, knowing what information hackers will be after can help you here. So, consider that first. Then, think about areas where this information will be at weakest. In most cases, this happens when customers are first sending information to you. Here, hackers could gain access to card details and such before it even arrives at your site.

But, there’s plenty you can do to cover weak spots like these. Taking payments from an outside source such as Paypal can go a long way towards security. This can also help keep addresses and email information safe, as Paypal covers all this. You can keep your non-Paypal customers safe by providing secure connections. Urge them to check for the secure padlock before entering anything.

Another weak spot you should be aware of is when you outsource services. When you pass information to another company, you compromise security. What’s more, hackers know it. If your process involves software development outsourcing, or even remote workers, hackers will attempt to gain information during transfer. Even if they fail here, you can’t be sure of the security used by your outsourced options. To get around this, speak about the issue with companies in question. Together, you can develop plans and passwords which work to keep things safe.

Can one breach lead to another?

It’s also important to consider whether one breach can lead to another. Hackers are out to take everything they can, and will attempt to get as far past your security as possible. Adding many layers to your security system will at least ensure they can’t gain access to everything in one easy hit. And, that’s crucial if you want to provide any reassurance for customers. There are different ways to do this. As mentioned in a previous point, keeping information in different areas can go a long way. It’s also worth operating with a few different security systems in place. That way, working out one doesn’t give a hacker instant access to another. If you’re unsure where to start here, you could always turn to an outside company who can take care of this matter for you. Companies like these make their livings premeditating the actions of hackers. As such, they’re sure to be in a better position here than you.

Conclusion

Thinking like a hacker isn’t always easy. As we’ve already mentioned, these individuals will also have anonymity on their side. As a business owner, you just don’t have the choice to watch them as they work. Hence, you’ll always be operating on guesswork here to some extent. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t develop a decent security system. In many ways, hackers aren’t all that different to physical thieves. Only, instead of a shop, they’re breaking into your website. And, instead of expensive stock, they’re out to steal information. With that in mind, you should be able to take any action necessary here. At every turn, think back to the hacker mindset. Remember, too that technology is developing all the time. As such, you should revisit security measures often to keep up.

Importance of Internet Security

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Internet security has never been more important. If you have poor internet security, then you are leaving yourself open to all kinds of issues. With that in mind, here are three reasons why internet security is so important.

Financial

There are plenty of financial reasons why internet security is so important. If something happens and you end up losing data or customer information, then this can mean that you are less likely to get continued custom and it can hurt your bottom line. Having a problem and then needing to pay for it after the fact is almost always more expensive than preventing the problem in the first place. If you have poor internet security, then you could get hacked and end up losing money through this. There have instances where Bitcoin traders have been hacked and lost a lot of money in Bitcoin. This has affected their businesses massively. You might even get into legal trouble for having inadequate internet security for your business. This can cost you a lot of money, so you should ensure that you have decent internet security.

Reputation

If you do not have decent internet security, then it can hurt your reputation. If your reputation is damaged, then your brand will also be damaged. As mentioned above this might mean that people no longer trust your company. This, in turn, can mean reduced sales and customers. However, it can be a lot worse than that. If people continue to feel that their data is not safe with you, then they will likely start to go to your competitors instead. This is really bad for your business. If you get a reputation for having poor internet security and not looking after customer data, then it can be hard to come back from. This is why internet security is so important. You don’t necessarily have to manage your internet security yourself. Instead, you might be able to have a managed service by a professional internet security company. This will mean that you are doing everything you possibly can to ensure that you have decent internet security.

Long Term

All of this can effect the long-term future of your company. If you are paying out money to fix problems that should never have happened or due to legal ramifications, then it is going to eat into your profits, and it could mean that you end up making a loss. If you start to get a poor reputation and a negative brand, then you are not going to get customers returning to your company. Instead, they are going to look elsewhere for whatever it is that you provide. This can affect the long-term running of your company. It might take your years to recover from something that could have been fixed by having decent internet security. In the worst possible case, it might mean that you go bankrupt and have to go into liquidation. You need to take your internet security seriously and make it a priority for your business.

How to Prepare Your Business For the Unexpected

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Every small business that succeeds does so at least in part as a result of the strategies employed by its owner in a bid to fulfil their personal vision of the future, but few such owners spend any time working on plans to help them deal with unexpected emergencies.

Small enterprises are far more vulnerable to such events and failing to make proper provision for any kind of disaster scenario, whether a data breach or hurricane, means you risk being caught off guard. Not having a suitable plan in place will also make it far more difficult for you to get your business back on track should the worst-case scenario come to pass.

Select your team

The first step is to set up a planning team composed of employees from across the company chosen for their in-depth knowledge of specific areas of the business. Such a team should include those from IT, telecommunications, logistics and customer service divisions and should be capable of running the business from a temporary location if necessary.

It’s a good idea to spend some time brainstorming with key members of your team to discuss how your enterprise can best respond to a wide range of events. As the response needed to deal with a fire is very different from that needed to deal with a data breach, you may need to have a number of plans in place.

Ready your responses

In the event of a natural disaster, the news agenda is unlikely to focus on your company alone, but in the case of a man-made disaster such as a data breach, you’ll be facing the music alone. In such scenarios, it is essential to make some sort of public statement as soon as possible. Waiting too long to respond to this sort of crisis means you lose control of the story as the media will simply seek out other sources of information. With stories spreading throughout the world almost instantly through social media, any kind of delay can ultimately prove fatal to your company’s financial future.

Cross-train for consistency

If you or one of your key employees is injured in an accident, the effect on your business could be devastating. Cross-training employees so they can take over each other’s roles, at least on a temporary basis, will prevent your business from grinding to a halt.

It is also worth ensuring you know in advance exactly which lawyers to call to deal with such incidents. At a firm such as Harrell & Harrell personal injury lawyers, for example, every case is reviewed by two or three lawyers to ensure it is being assessed not just from a physical point of view but also in terms of the potential financial losses and cost of rehabilitation. Preparing a list of specialists in advance to cover every likely scenario will allow you to respond far more effectively.

Contemplate succession

This kind of planning for disasters should include every aspect of your life. Though it may be unpleasant, it should include plans for what will happen to the company should you die. Ensure there is a provision for new ownership in your will.

Similarly, if you have started the company jointly with your wife, husband, or business partner ensure there are plans are in place for how the business could be divided up in the case of a split. In all such cases, the process of planning should start as early as possible.

What Should You do if You Get Injured at Work

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For most employees, their workplace is a safe environment that is maintained to keep everyone safe. Even if you do have to do a dangerous job, there will be measures in place to keep you as safe as possible. However, for a few people, their workplace is not so safe, and this can lead to accidents and injuries at work. No-one likes to take action against their employer, but if you do get injured, then you need to get the support you need.

What is the First Thing You Should Do?

Having an accident in any situation is scary and a little disorientating. However, when it happens, you need to think clearly and report it to your manager. If you need any medical attention, then in the first instance the first aider should be called and a paramedic if needed. If there are others there with you, ask them to take pictures of the incident on their cell phones including what caused the accident and pictures of your injury.

See Your Doctor

When you first suffer the injury, you will usually be sent to a doctor that has been hired by your employee. They will assess your condition and write a report to the employer. It is important to give the doctor all the information about the accident that caused the injury and any subsequent action taken by a hospital. Your employer should be made fully aware of the injury you suffered and also advised about your current condition. Your employer should give you a form to request benefit help. If they don’t provide one, your doctor or the hospital will also have them.

Seeking Help and Advice

If you think that your accident at work could have been prevented, or if you are unsure of the process, then you need to speak to a specialized lawyer. There is a personal injury attorney in San Diego and other states that can look at your case and decide what course of action needs to be taken. It is important to choose a lawyer that has experience in this type of case because they will be in a better position to advise you.

Gather Your Evidence

From the beginning, it is vital that you start to gather all of the evidence you can about the incident and the correspondence. Keep all your letters, medical reports and emails about your accident or your time off work so that your lawyer can see them. It also helps if your employer denies that something happened, or that an area wasn’t safe. It is also a good idea to keep the receipts of any medical procedures or drugs that you have been prescribed. It will help with finding a settlement figure later.

Many people successfully claim for compensations from their employer for an injury at work, and they have still employed them the same company afterwards. It is important that you know the procedure and who to seek help from at the time.

Why Disaster Recovery Strategies Are Still Crucial for Businesses – Even in the Cloud Age

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Recently, it was reported that scientists may have found out a very plausible reason for the disappearance of the Mayan civilization. The 3,000-year-old civilization vanished almost entirely (though there are still some descendants of the Mayans alive today) in or around the 9th century AD, and as yet, nobody really knows why this happened. They were highly advanced, large in number, and had inhabited their lands for millennia, and yet they were effectively wiped out.

The new theory, based on analysis of materials found at the bottom of what is known as the ‘Blue Hole’ in Belize, is that the Mayans left their region and dispersed, breaking up their civilization, because of a drought. A natural disaster was something that this 3,000-year-old civilization just wasn’t equipped to handle.

So, what does this have to do with your business? Well, just like the Mayans, you may well be very vulnerable to the destructive effects of a disaster.

Sophisticated Technology Only Does Part of The Job of Protecting You

 

Disaster recovery used to be a big deal in business, with companies prioritizing every element of their strategy as essential, from back-ups for data through to providing access to staff from offsite locations to allow for business continuity when an office and its equipment were made inaccessible (or destroyed) by a disaster.

Naturally, some of the things that took a lot of work to plan for 15 years ago are no longer such complicated problems. With the cloud, offsite back-ups are no longer essential for all businesses to preserve data if servers are destroyed. Remote working is very easy to achieve with mobile technology and SaaS applications, so keeping key staff in operation when a site is inaccessible is also no longer something that requires intense planning.

However, just because the technology is there and a lot of your DR plan can effectively be pinned on it, it doesn’t mean you no longer need one.

Detailed Planning

While you know your data is all backed up to the cloud and your staff all have access to what they need from home (or a secondary office location), you still need to look at the details. Important things include the roles and responsibilities in the event of a disaster, inter-team communication protocols, and how key stakeholders and clients will be kept up to date and provided with services during the incident.

Risk Analysis

While devising your DR plan, you should also consider the risks associated with different types of disaster, and also both the likelihood and severity of those risks. This will vary by location for things like earthquakes and hurricanes, however, some disasters like fires and floods caused by burst pipes can happen with fairly equal likelihood anywhere, and this all needs to be thought about in your plan.

Don’t rely on the fact you have the latest technology when it comes to disaster planning – the Mayans had some of the best tech of their age, too!