View Point: Cybercrime

Five helpful tips to prevent Cyber attacks on your business

Many small businesses under value the importance of cybersecurity, however more than 1/3 of New Zealand businesses were hacked in the year 2019 (the majority of them being small businesses)

Intelligent automation means most attacks these days start with little human involvement. Hackers are using bots (internet robots) to complete up to 80% of the work.  These bots are consistently scanning the internet and alert the hacker once a weakness is identified. This makes cyber-attacks highly efficient as the hacker simply needs to target these networks the bots have identified as weak.

At Pinpoint we want to keep our clients and New Zealand businesses safe from these attacks that can cost your companies $1000's of dollars and affect daily operations and customer service.

Below are five simple tips to decrease the likelihood of your business becoming the victim of a Cyber Attack.

TIPS:

1. Connect to secure Wi-Fi which is secure, encrypted and hidden.
If you are working remotely you can protect your data by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Express VPN is a robust VPN provider. Try to avoid public Wi-Fi as networks can be vulnerable to interception.

2. Enable firewall protection at work and home.
Firewall software is the first line of defence against cyberattacks. If you work from home on occasions, don't just rely on your company firewall software, install one on your home network.

3. Educate and train your employees to ensure they know your companies cybersecurity policies.
If you don't have a policy, prioritise completing one. 

4. Be proactive and ensure your anti-virus software and security applications are up to date. Use firewall for your internet connection, installing, using and regularly updating anti-malware, anti-virus and anti-spyware on every computer used in your business

5. Avoid pop-ups, unknown emails and links.
It is a good idea for your company to employ authentication technology that blocks suspicious emails.Being the beginning of a New Year, now is a good time to review your companies current cybersecurity practices to ensure your company and home is safe from Cyber Attacks in 2020.

If you require any further advice on cybersecurity or any other security protocols for your business, please contact us below.

Best wishes for 2020.

The Pinpoint PI Team.