News of increased digital break-ins is a reminder to all of us to lock our digital doors to cyber criminals.
Imagine you’d heard the news that there had been an uptick in break-ins and robberies in your local area. Perhaps a neighbouring store had been hit, and you had your suspicions someone might have been snooping around your shop’s back entrance. What would you do with this information?
Our bet is that you’d be taking a quick review of your security practices and working out what else you needed to protect your business:
Security alarms installed. Tick. Video surveillance. Tick. Reinforcing vulnerable break-in locations. Tick.
Two people close so no one is walking out alone. Tick.
All common sense steps designed to strengthen your physical security and make you more ready to withstand an attempted break-in.
Well, in case you missed it, the ACCC delivered this exact news in April. Except they weren’t talking about break-ins and robberies in the traditional sense, they were talking about the $3.1 billion that was scammed from Australians in 2022. A whopping 80% increase on 2021 levels through virtual break-ins like phishing and remote access attacks.
Small businesses are also at risk.
Australian businesses were not immune to this trend either: the ACCC reported a 73% increase in scam losses across the business community last year.
These shocking statistics are a stark reminder that now more than ever we must learn to lock our digital doors to cyber criminals. Protecting your business and increasing your business’s overall readiness to defend against cyber attacks is known as increasing your Cyber Posture. Whilst it might sound like a yoga position, it’s really just the same steps you take to protect your physical business, applied to your online infrastructure.
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ALSO AT RISK
- What do I need to protect? What are the digital assets you need to keep safe? Make a list, and ensure you have the highest levels of security protection enabled for each.
- How can I minimise risks? Who has access (and do they need it)? Are my software and operating systems up to date? Are there any obvious vulnerabilities to jump on?
- How can I make it safer? Have I turned on multi-factor authentication and am I using strong passphrases?
- What’s my recovery plan? If the worst happens, how do I bounce back and get on my feet again? Do I have a backup of all my important files and business information?
Don’t be a slouch when it comes to cyber security. Improve your cyber posture to prevent a digital break-in.
