You’ve got the basics down. You’ve installed the right software on your company devices to detect and remove malware, and you’ve instructed your employees to choose and use strong passwords. Maybe you go a step further by requiring password changes every few months and train your employees to recognize basic phishing scam tactics. Unfortunately it seems that hackers are always at least one step ahead.
They know your data is valuable, especially if your business has access to financial or health information, and they enjoy the challenge of breaking in. Your employees, even if you’ve trained them in best practices, are protecting a lot of value. Antivirus software and basic password practices might not be enough to keep up.
The Truth About Traditional Protocols
There are a few issues with relying on the “old school” methods of cyber security.
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Antivirus Software
Simply put, the software can’t always keep up with the constant changes. It’s not just one step behind, it’s several. Any new or tweaked malware can sneak by easily. But the biggest problem with antivirus software is that it’s reactive, not proactive. It can only attempt to mitigate the damage after a breach has already occurred, rather than preventing it. Not only that, but most companies put too much trust in their software. Antivirus software only protects against malware. It won’t work in preventing phishing scams or other attempts, and relying on it might be giving a false sense of security.
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Password Protection
Even if you’ve done all the right things – require strong passwords and encourage or mandate that your users change them often – people, and their memories, are weak. They’ll choose passwords that are easy to type or easy to guess, they’ll use the same password for everything, or they’ll write a complicated password down. Hackers use brute-force attacks and are often able to guess passwords simply by trying multiple combinations, and once they have one password, they’ll take the stolen password from one site and try it on others. N
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Too Connected
If all your systems are linked, letting in an attacker in a seemingly innocent place can quickly become a system wide problem you can’t control. If you don’t update your software regularly, there will be cracks and weak spots. A hacker can slip in through a weakness in something you haven’t even thought about and then flood your system to shut it down.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor Authentication (MFA) is the practice of adding extra steps to log in, such as a code sent to another device, a biometric scanner, or any additional step that requires something different than the first password. Even if a password is leaked or stolen, a cyber criminal won’t be able to get in with that password alone. MFA can feel like a pain to your employees, especially when they are trying to work quickly, but just adding one extra step can make a big difference in your overall cyber security.
Continuous Monitoring
There are several systems, like Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and firewalls that can watch your network for you and monitor what’s going in and out. These systems look for unusual behavior and can either alert you to threats or block them automatically. Updating your software and hardware regularly and patching holes that can be easily exploited is crucial.
Continuous monitoring shouldn’t just be left to software. Your IT department can perform regular security checks, pretending to be after data, to see if there are any vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. You can hire a cyber security team to do these checks if you want a true test.
Employee Security Training
Humans are the weakest link, and hackers know this. Even if you have the best software and IT team out there, all it takes is one employee to fall for a sophisticated phishing scam to bring down the whole security curtain. Most employees think they’re smart enough to avoid these scams, but some are so believable and well-targeted that they are easy for anyone, even the most educated in cyber security, to fall for.
Your employees need to make sure they are constantly on guard for anything that could be an attempt to access data. This means that you need to require your employees to go through security training regularly – not just once when they’re onboarding or taking a basic quiz once a year. Invest the time to keep cyber security best practices fresh and always in the forefront of their minds.
Malware isn’t the only one there to crash your computer. Ransomware, malware, and spyware can all sneak past your antivirus software and wreck absolute havoc on your cybersecurity. Fileless malware can hide in plain sight, spyware can silently steal your data, and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) will steal data so slowly you don’t realize it’s an issue until it’s too late. Cyberattacks have leveled up, so what worked even just one year ago can’t necessarily be relied on to work today. To keep your business safe, you need to do more than the basics.
Trust AccuShred
Even the most sophisticated cybersecurity measures can’t prevent every breach—especially when your business data is still sitting on old hard drives, forgotten USBs, or archived files that haven’t been properly destroyed. Hackers aren’t just looking for a way in—they’re looking for whatever they can find once they’re there.
Secure data destruction is an important—but often overlooked—part of your cybersecurity plan. AccuShred helps businesses eliminate the risk of data exposure by securely destroying outdated documents, electronic media, and hard drives. Whether you’re tightening up compliance protocols or simply protecting your reputation, we make it easy to stay one step ahead of cyber threats.
Don’t leave your company’s past data vulnerable. Partner with AccuShred for secure, certified data destruction that supports your cyber security strategy.