5 Most overlooked security hazards, and how to mitigate them
The ever-changing nature of the cyberthreat landscape is always taking people by surprise. New threats come and go, and the biggest hazards are often overlooked until it’s too late. Good security practices come with keeping informed about the latest trends and providing regular training to your employees. It’s also important to remember that every business is a target, no matter its size or industry.
Keep your company safe by mitigating the five security hazards that we tend to miss:
#1. Weak authentication methods
These days, people are tasked with trying to remember login credentials for multiple accounts, which is why many people reuse passwords that are easy to remember. This makes them vulnerable. Weak authentication methods are susceptible to brute force attacks. Companies should always enforce strong password policies but, more importantly, add an additional verification layer such as fingerprint scanners or mobile authenticator apps.
#2. Default installations
When installing new hardware or software, it’s often tempting to breeze through the installation process and leave everything at default settings. In many default configurations, devices can easily join networks, but the convenience may pose a security risk. Another common problem is using default router passwords, some of which can easily be discovered online, leaving the entire network vulnerable as a result. It’s important to always look through security and privacy settings and change default passwords.
#3. Lax policy enforcement
You can have all the security policies in the world, but they’re worthless if there’s no concrete way of enforcing them. While a documented information security policy is essential from an administrative perspective, it’s also important that you implement the controls necessary to enforce the rules. Examples include blacklisting prohibited protocols, websites, devices, and apps. You should also implement data loss prevention (DLP) to reduce the risk of information leakage across less secure networks like social media and instant messaging applications.
#4. Inadequate employee awareness
Employees are the first and last line of defense in any organization. Although vulnerabilities in technology often get the blame in the event of a cyberattack, it usually boils down to human error. Hackers are always looking for new ways to exploit unsuspecting victims. That’s why every organization should have a regular employee training with simulations on current and emerging threats.
#5. Single line of defense
Using a firewall to protect a company network and antivirus software to protect endpoints used to be enough. Nowadays, with the ubiquity of cloud-hosted and mobile assets, it’s more important than ever to implement multiple layers of defense to guard against overlooked vulnerabilities and more sophisticated attacks like advanced persistent threats (APT). Many businesses outsource round-the-clock network monitoring and alerts to add an extra security layer.
Netwize prides itself on more than 20 years of experience working with businesses of all sizes to help them become more secure and resilient in today’s increasingly competitive market. Call us today to learn more.
