When I was writing this post, 14,930,520 cyber attacks already happened that day. If you want to check today, check it out here.
Let us look into the consequences of cyber attack for your business-
1) Revenue Loss
2) Loss of emails and contacts.
2) Loss of entire data in your laptop.
3) Formatting of cellphone otherwise you will not be able to use it.
4) Damage to brand reputation.
5)Loss of Intellectual Property.
If you are a small business owner, you would argue what would hacker gain from your account. Convinced by this argument, you may choose not to invest your energy and money into it.
But, I can only tell you this-
What you think is what you become...If you think to be too trivial for hackers then you will remain like that.
So first action for you is to never underestimate yourself.
I dare say, imagine an impact on your small business if this happens when you do not have a backup for yourself.
Attacked by the hackers, you would have to start and generate the entire data again. Remember that data is the key in future for everything.
Tips for you to initiate cyber-security for your business
1) Secure your cellphone.
Most of us do business transactions now on our cell phones. Sync it with a cloud. Many clouds provide free but limited space like Gmail provides-15 GB, Dropbox provides 3gb and there are many other clouds. Choose as per your convenience.
2) Choose secure email services. GMAIL does not provide end-to-end encryption. Look into this list of safe email providers, and decide for yourself.
Use tools like pwned to check if your current emails are compromised?
2) Never store your passwords in messages or whatsapp.
Purchase password managers application like Enpass and 1 Password. These applications store your password in your cloud only, so it is safe.
3) Make yourself aware on Phising attempts by hackers -Never click on suspicious emails. Never get overwhelmed by those emails, which promises you big awards and quick money.
4) Most of us would have a wifi connection at home. Only a password does not protect your internet. Check out these tips to secure your home-wifi network.
5) Have firewalls, malware protection in your laptops. Invest in such tools.
6) Avoid misuse of your Debit and Credit Card. Do not enter your credit card numbers on random websites.
I myself once have been a victim of cyber attack. My Credit Card was used on a gaming website over the night. The transaction worth 40000 INR was done without my knowledge. I received OTPs on my phone, but never understood how that happened. I contacted the bank, fortunately within 24 hours, and bank never cleared that amount to the merchant. At the end I got my money back. I was lucky this time, not sure if I'd have the same fate in future. Better protect yourself.
There are wallets available, which provide NFC and RFID protection. Although not sure about their efficiency, but worth to have a look.
Although I am not a cybersecurity specialist, but do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help.This post is a part of Blogchatter A-Z Challenge- #blogchatterA2Z. Check out my A-Z Challenge theme.Subscribe to the monthly newsletter.