Hackers strike fear into any organization, especially those that store an extensive amount of customer information. Companies must protect themselves against hacking by taking precautions. Some precautions include creating encrypted passwords that are changed often, using two step verification processes and (Heath, 2016). But, there are also additional steps that organizations take that are good methods for reducing hacking vulnerabilities. These steps are simple and they embrace the cliché of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
One precaution that organizations should take is not to store more data than is necessary: “The risk of a breach outweighs the convenience for your customers… If you have nothing to steal, you won’t be robbed” (Spors, 2014). It makes sense that many companies want to store credit cards for their customer’s convenience, but doing so only results in creating an unnecessary liability.
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Companies should also use firewalls to protect data. It sounds simple, yet it is often overlooked. Simply put, the right technologies need to be used. For example, if the company is WiFi based, then use a VPN (Heath, 2016). Basically, companies need to operate as though they expect to be hacked in order not to be hacked. It is by anticipating the hacker that companies can devise ways to avoid any successful hacking attempts.
Perhaps the most effective prevention is to train employees to avoid accidentally leaking protected information. Often, employees do not know what to look for in suspicious emails, or malicious links (Spors, 2014). By training employees to perceive hacking attempts, there will be an increased vigilance company-wide that will help prevent any hacking attempts from becoming successful. Since employees have the most contact with protected information, it makes sense that training employees to actually protect that information should be a priority for organizational training.
- Heath, A. (2016). 7 practical tips to keep yourself from getting hacked. Business Insider. Retrieved from: www.businessinsider.com/7-hacking-protection-steps-2016-2/
- Spors, K. (2014). 3 key ways to protect your business from hackers. American Express. Retrieved from: www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/3-key-ways-to-protect-your-business-from-hackers/
