If you believe some of the media hype, the internet is a highly dangerous place, full of IT security threats and shadowy people looking to do us harm. The truth is that if you are armed with a little knowledge, it can go a long way to keeping you safe and protected online.
Network security threats can come in different shapes and sizes. Most of us aren’t aware that most computers and smart devices are attacked on a daily basis by malware of some kind or another. It’s the virus and firewall software we use that keeps us safe.
Attacks don’t just come from hidden viruses out there on the internet. Some malware requires the input of unwitting users. Here’s our quick guide to being vigilant:
- What Out for Malicious Links
If you’ve been sent an email or text message with a link in it, be skeptical. First, check closely that it comes from a reputable source. Then ask yourself if this person or organization usually communicates in this way. If you’re not sure, even it’s just a gut feeling, reach out to the sender and ask if this is from them.
If in any doubt at all, don’t open the link. Phishing emails are common and are designed to get you into a site that will download malware or steal your data. It’s not just emails, either. Social media is increasingly used for phishing attacks.
- Have a Strategy
For all businesses, that should include educating staff on the threat of phishing attacks and their potential harmful effects. When employees understand what they are facing, they can be more vigilant and that puts your business at less risk. The trouble is that phishing attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and will often use stolen data such as real emails to achieve their ends.
Keeping an eye out for questionable content on websites is important. If you don’t have any restrictions on your staff using their computers, it can mean they have the potential of visiting malware sites without even knowing it. Having the right IT security in place is vital, of course, and making sure it is regularly updated is just as important. Businesses need to be on top of this sort of thing, so some businesses may want to look for a company offering outsourced managed it services to help them. This way, they can keep an eye on your business’ network security, lowering the cybersecurity threat. Of course, businesses could also implement a proxy to prevent employees from visiting some websites. With the help of proxies from https://free-proxy-list.net, for example, businesses could prevent employees from going on questionable websites. This should lower the chances of them finding malware.
All businesses should be concerned about their network security and be educated in how to spot IT threats. If you want to know more about how better to protect your company online, contact the team at TH2 Technologies and speak to one of our IT security experts.