COVID-19: Five Steps to Protect Against Possible Cyber Attacks

Uncertainty is the most suitable word for the world we live in today. Whether it is real life or the virtual world, uncertainty is rampant everywhere. Running and growing a business in this uncertain world is not a piece of cake by any stretch of the imagination. You have to be a step ahead of your competitors, hidden enemies, hackers, and spammers all the time.

The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus has further put the world in an uncertain proposition. Thousands of businesses have breathed their last this year while many others are fighting a lost battle in a bid to survive the turbulent time.

In short, you need a reliable partner that is tasked to keep a close eye on hidden enemies in the digital world and keep your websites from proxy DDoS attacks with DDoS protected VPS and real-time cyber attack map Norse, etc. 

Thankfully, there is no dearth of options when it comes to digital security solutions providers that offer cheap DDoS protection. Even then, we have witnessed a huge number of companies failing to fortify their firewalls against the rising dangers of cyber attacks. Although companies are more informed than ever and have access to state-of-the-art tools and solutions to ensure cybersecurity, there is no end to cyber crimes and cyber attacks yet. According to a recent study, around 20% of Australian businesses and enterprises have been a victim of cyberattacks. The situation is no different in the United States and elsewhere. 

One of the biggest bottlenecks in the implementation of a safe and secure cyber environment is businesses’ unwillingness to invest time, energy, and money in cybersecurity solutions like cheap DDoS protection. The most common being they are more engaged in running the business itself and manage the material and human resources. 

In the absence of robust and active cyber-security solutions, businesses get themselves exposed to the known and unknown dangers of hacking and spamming, like proxy DDoS attacks. Sometimes, the situation becomes so grave that these companies’ customers or consumers also find themselves in trouble. Even the top companies like Twitter and Amazon have recently been attacked brutally by hackers and their users also lost their precious data and personal information as a result. This is why we always emphasize more on having a strong cyber-security arrangement for every business that has anything to do with the digital world. In the kind of cyber-attacks mentioned above, companies not only lose their repute but also lose the trust of their loyal customers. Therefore, no business can afford to act like a sitting duck and hope for a miracle to save their day. Instead, the time is now to fortify your security membrane with cheap DDoS protection so that you minimize risks of getting exposed to hacking and spamming. 

If you need guidance on how you can cut down the danger of a cyber attack on your web project, we have listed down below five steps that can give you a decent security cover against the virtual criminals.

Continuously Educate Your Staff

Ever since the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus, companies are forced to allow their employees to work from home. It exposes their network and precious data on the web world that is filled with all kinds of vultures.

A safe domestic network is nothing more than a myth. Every business needs to implement a foolproof IT security system, including cheap DDoS protection, that keeps confidential information from getting into the hands of hackers.

The first thing every business should do is to educate their staff members about different options like cheap DDoS protection. In fact, they should continue to arrange short courses or refresher courses periodically to impart the right knowledge to their workforce about the latest cyber dangers. 

In today’s COVID-19-affected world, it has become even easier to make your workers dig deep into the course material and grab the information. Many companies design online courses that are available at leading websites. Such courses not only subtly introduce new concepts, including cheap DDoS protection options, to your employees but also make them understand the cybersecurity systems at basics as well as at advanced levels.

Once your employees get the right training, they are more likely to practice safe internet usage protocols at their homes. Together, it provides effective and cheap DDoS protection from cybercriminals.

On the other hand, if you deem educating your employees a waste of time, you are going to pay for it sooner or later. According to a study, more than 90% of cyber attacks involved companies’ employees who unknowingly gave crucial information away. The choice is yours! Either you empower your employees to ensure a much-needed security membrane around your precious data and information, or you leave them to play in the hands of hackers.

If you have made up your mind by now to impart company-wide cyber-security education, here is the deal. Your course should cover at least six key aspects of cybersecurity solutions.

1. Even though your workforce is performing their duties from their homes due to the pandemic, your course should provide guidelines for both in-house and work-from-home security protocols. The guidelines should include the concepts of acceptable use of technology, especially at their homes.
2. The material must include information about the protocols to secure both personal and business data.
3. The employees should be trained on all the worst-case scenarios. They should know what are their responsibilities and tasks in case of a security breach. They should know the officials and departments they must contact to report cybersecurity issues.
4. Train your workers on how they can create and remember tougher passwords. Create scenarios where your workers are extemporarily asked their passwords. This would give them a practical exercise on how to remember their passwords.
5. Each employee must be aware of his or her access level in the company’s network. The company must make it clear to all employees where their limit ends. It allows the officials to set up a secure digital work environment.
6. This is the most important part. As we know, spammers and hackers generally use spammy or suspicious emails to get users to click on the harmful files. All the employees, who perform their duties in a digital work environment, should be trained and educated about how these suspicious emails look like. They should also be made aware that even social media posts may invite cyber attacks. They must be informed about all the scenarios that hackers might use to gain access to a company’s security system.

Don’t Hesitate to Invest in Security

As discussed earlier, a majority of global companies don’t pay heed to the security requirements. Their lack of interest in dedicating financial and human resources to the cybersecurity tasks leaves them in troubled waters. Once you find yourself in troubled waters, there is nothing much you can do to avoid the disaster. However, when you’re sailing through peaceful waters, this is when you can fortify your security protocols. 

Investing in security arrangements pays dividends in the long term. The idea is to create a multi-layered security environment that is well supported by reliable backup and recovery systems. After all, it is all about being proactive. You’re already fighting a lost battle when you decide to become reactive to situations. Imagine dealing with a proxy DDoS attack, excessive downtime, or paying a ransom for retrieval of your critical information. No business can ever afford to be in such a position. You can never call the shots when you are at the receiving end. It is always better to dedicate resources to the known and unknown threats before they actually become a cause of concern. If you want to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks, you should invest your resources in setting up a robust and reliable cybersecurity environment. 

You can either install cybersecurity protocols or leave the job of DDoS protection with a professional cybersecurity company. Hiring the services of a professional cyber-security company may result in many benefits, some of which are listed below.

a) Prepare for the Unseen Threats

The best part of leaving the cyber-security job with a professional company is that they are well aware of the threats, including proxy DDoS attacks, that are affecting many businesses worldwide. Their knowledge and experience allow them to prepare for such scenarios well ahead of time. So, when the time comes for the action, they are always a step ahead in dealing with the proxy DDoS attacks and other threats. 

A dedicated cyber-security company always knows its game. It knows which areas can cause serious problems to a business in an event of a proxy DDoS attacks. It separates that particular business area from the others and creates a secure membrane around it, which protects it from getting compromised. It means such companies have personalized cyber-security solutions for each department of a company. Moreover, their relevant experience makes them fully aware of the consequences of a particular protocol or policy, so they always have better ways to mitigate the threats.

b) Block Cyber Attacks

As mentioned above, cyber-security companies have the right kind of expertise to know how to block a certain proxy DDoS attack. Their job is to make sure that no hacker or their viruses manage to find their way into your business system. Hackers always come up with a new strategy to undo the security protocols. They use spoofed emails of CEOs, which appear absolutely legit. However, these are actually a dangerous ploy to trick finance officials into releasing corporate funds to hackers. This kind of cybercrime is known as Business Email Compromise (BEC). In 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a public alert that warned businesses against BEC attempts. By that time, the BEC scammers had already befooled 78,000 businesses globally resulting in a cumulative loss of more than $12 billion.

c) Respond Efficiently to Threats

Despite all the experience, expertise, and technological support, predictive cyber-security protocols are not good enough to stop cyber attacks. You can never shy away from the risks of a proxy DDoS attack therefore you need someone who is well-prepared to take on such a challenge. The prime example of such a scenario was the 2018 Verizon data breach. Its investigation report revealed that illegal Point-of-Sale (POS) intrusion is a normal case in the food and accommodation services industry. According to the report, in around 96% of the cases, these intrusions were not even discovered. These businesses only got to know about these instructions after law enforcement agencies informed them through the Common Point of Purchase (CPP). Even Tesla was found wrong-footed in cryptocurrency attacks. The crux of the matter is that cyber-security companies are fully prepared to respond efficiently to such scenarios and minimize the loss of data and information. This is still a better proposition to be than losing all your precious data. 

1. Save Your Precious Money

There is no questioning the fact that effective cyber-security protocols save precious money for the businesses, although they come with a price tag. According to the 2018 Cost of Data Breach Study, the highest data breach direct cost belongs to Canada that stands at 81$ per compromised record. A cyber-security company lets you focus on your core business areas and take care of your business’s security arrangements, which saves a big sum.

e) Get State-of-the-Art Tools

Once you involve a cyber-security company, you not only save your business from cyberattacks, but also gain access to the state-of-the-art cyber-security tools and protocols, including traditional, cloud, and outsourcing.

• Keep All Your Security Systems Updated

If you want to get the best value out of your security protocols, you need to keep them updated periodically. There is no use of a security system that doesn’t get periodic patches updates. The world of cybercrimes is always evolving, so if you’re not keeping pace with it, you are surely going southward.

• Get Easy-to-Recall Passwords Out of Window

Gone are the days when you used to get away with having easy-to-remember passwords. Hackers and spammers have gone advanced now and they are always on top of their game to gain access to your confidential data. In such a scenario, it is your duty as a business owner to keep reminding everyone out there to make sure that they pick tough and strong passwords that are a combination of alphabets, numeric keys, signs and symbols, etc.

Yes, we know, creating a strong password is an annoying task for many, and remembering such a password is a next-to-impossible task for a majority. However, it is the order of the day to make it impossible for anyone to guess your password.

According to a study of over 10 million users conducted in 2017, around 17% of users selected “123456” as their password. Anyone can use the guesswork to crack such a password. Try and google “top 10 passwords in 2020” and you would be amazed.

Creating a strong and difficult-to-recall password isn’t the only thing you should do. In fact, you should keep changing them every once in a while. Always make sure that your password has more than 10 characters. 

• Regularly Check Your Security Backups

This is another continuous job for your cyber-security officials. They should conduct a regular check on the security of your backups and protocols. This practice gives them confidence in the overall health of the network against threats like proxy DDoS attacks. They instantly identify and rectify any threats to your network during the period check-ups. It would be a big shame if you only get to know about a system dysfunction in an event of a proxy DDoS attack.

The Final Words

Keeping the cyber-security fight alive is not just one person’s job. It involves everyone who is part of the equation. From network security officials to the employees who work from home, it is a common obligation to play their part in this war. Never shy away from reporting cybercrimes to the relevant authorities at the right time because it helps the broader fight against cybercrimes. Always remember, big corporations are not the only targets of cybercriminals. In fact, every individual who has an email account is their potential target. Therefore, always pay heed to the security of your digital accounts, no matter who you are and where you live.