As technology advances, the chances of a security threat reaching your network are increasing rapidly. Security threats are particularly scary because they happen suddenly, and it isn’t long before damage can become irreversible. When it comes to your business network, it’s important to identify what vulnerabilities and risks can cause a threat. In addition to relying on professionals like us to help secure your network, there are simple proactive measures you can take at home to steer yourself in the right direction.

What constitutes a vulnerability or risk to your network?

A vulnerability is a weak spot in your network that has the potential to be exploited. The risks are the potential consequences and subsequent impact of those unattended vulnerabilities. In order to prevent these vulnerabilities and risks to your security network, here are the key areas your business should focus on: 

Evaluate your network access

The first major step is setting up your network users, and making sure you’re diligent with user permissions. Setting up these policies is a way for you to protect assets within your business, and also allows you to assess any risk and vulnerability points. Those who are admins should use a strong password policy and encourage all users to create complex passwords. It’s also best practice to change your passwords every 60-90 days. It’s tedious and no one wants to do it, but you’ll be grateful you did when an attacker strikes!

Check your physical assets

Physical assets are firmware, antivirus software, device drivers, etc. Sometimes attackers are able to take over your network because of outdated software. It’s important to always be updating your software, and limit who has access to install those updates (this is generally left up to the IT team).

Limit data access

Not everyone at your business needs access to data. Unless accessing data falls under their role specifically, other users in the company should be restricted. This may also be a good time to re-evaluate how your business is currently accessing, storing, and backing up data.

Be wary of emails

Millions of emails containing malware are sent out every day. Emails like these are advantageous for hackers, because the malware is often discreet, and users don’t know what warning signs to look for. It’s important that company leaders train their employees on malware identification best practices, and repeat the training on a consistent basis (every 3-6 months).

Standardize software

You can help keep your systems protected by standardizing software. This means ensuring all business computers use the same operating system, browser, media player, plugins, etc. It also makes system updates much less of a hassle!

What is the next step in protecting your network?

IT security teams need a real-time, automated service that can help identify risks to your network and defend against threats. Thinline Technologies can be an integral part of your network security with our preventative tools like security risk assessments, incident responses, intrusion responses, and security consulting. For more information, please visit our services page or give us a call at (410) 453-9300.