Internet scams are all too common, especially those involving phishing, data theft, and viruses. Not only can these types of cyberattacks hurt a company’s bottom line, but also its reputation and productivity.
Fortunately, educating the managers and employees within your organization can help to safeguard your business against internet scams, which will in turn protect your business data, applications, and systems. This article from Business News Power discusses a few of the ways in which you can protect your business from cybercrime — and all it starts with educating your employees.
1. Phishing Scams
Phishing scams are some of the most common types of internet crime, as scammers send fraudulent emails and text messages in an attempt to access sensitive information and install ransomware on your devices. Phishing scammers will try to trick you into clicking a link and sharing your banking information or passwords with them, pretending to be a person or company you trust.
To avoid phishing scams, make sure your managers and employees know how to detect a fraudulent email or text message. Always check the sender’s email or phone number to verify whether it’s legitimate, and don’t trust a sender based on the company logos or email branding used. Phishing scammers will often use spoofed logos, names, and email addresses to appear legitimate.
2. Data Theft
Cypher explains that data theft is another common internet scam that occurs when hackers get their hands on sensitive information, either intentionally or unintentionally. This information could include Social Security Numbers (SSNs), mailing and email addresses, names and birth dates, or banking information.
A few ways to prevent data theft include:
- Training employees on data security and having them sign an annual security policy.
- Restricting the websites and systems your employees can access.
- Encouraging managers and employees to use strong passwords.
- Backing up business files and keeping up on system updates.
- Safely disposing of sensitive information.
3. Viruses
Just like the coronavirus, computer viruses spread quickly — damaging your devices, files, and programs along the way. Viruses are often picked up after visiting a website that’s infected with malware, opening a suspicious email or attachment, or installing infected programs and applications.
To protect your workplace from viruses, provide your employees with a list of unsafe websites that should not be accessed on their business devices. In the event that their work-issued devices are infected with a virus, make sure they know to contact your IT department rather than trying to fix the problem on their own. Employees should also use antivirus software and update it regularly.
Train, Plan, and Recover
No business owner or employee plans on falling victim to cybercrime, and this is just the thing that increases their risk of being scammed online. Make sure that your employees know some basics, like how to check for an email sender’s full address, and what kind of website they are viewing. Most scammers won’t create a detailed and dynamic site. Instead, they’ll use a static page that feels more like a digital brochure.
Cybersecurity training and planning, however, can help to protect businesses and their workers from common online scams such as phishing, data theft, and viruses. With that said, there are lots of free online cybersecurity tools and resources for businesses — as well as free online events hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additionally, putting together a recovery plan will increase your cyber security data protection in the event you or an employee falls victim to online crime.
With a recovery plan in place, your business will be able to resume its operations much more quickly, as you’ll be able to identify:
- What applications and systems should be prioritized.
- When all data must be restored after a cyberattack occurs.
- Which staff members and vendors will be included in the data recovery process.
Protect Your Business Through Information
Businesses can never be too prepared when it comes to cybersecurity, so don’t wait until it’s too late to educate your employees and take steps to protect your organization from online scams. Anyone who uses the internet is at risk of phishing, data theft, and malware, but the right education, training, and planning will help you to mitigate this risk and recover from security attacks much more easily.
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