How can I protect my business from cyber-attacks?

Reports show that 46% of online crimes impact small businesses. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. When starting a new business, owners have many decisions to make and often leave cybersecurity measures behind. A cyber-attack can have devastating effects on companies, from leaked customer data to financial loss or, even worst, closing down the company. But how do these crimes actually happen? Well, cybercriminals often hack systems and then threaten to shut down computer networks, erase essential data, spread viruses, publish private information, create denial-of-service attacks, or take over social media accounts.

Luckily, we’ve put together a list of the best ways to protect your business from online threats. First things first - start by using a browser extension tool like Guardio to make your web navigating experience fully safe. Then, we´ll dive into everything from firewalls and antivirus software to employee training and data encryption. Following these tips can help keep your business safe from hackers and other online threats.

Steps to protect your business from cyber extortion

The first step is to understand what cyber extortion is. Cyber extortion is when a hacker threatens to release information or cripple systems unless a ransom is paid. This can be done by encrypting data and demanding a payment to decrypt it or by threatening to release sensitive information publicly.

Cyber extortion can be devastating for businesses, leading to loss of revenue, customers and damage to reputation. It's important to take steps to protect your business from this attack.

Guardio is a Chrome extension that monitors suspicious activity and blocks hackers from stealing your data.

Have a backup plan:

One way to protect your business is to have a robust backup and recovery plan in place. This way, if your systems are compromised, you can restore them from backups. It's also important to have backups in multiple locations in case one is destroyed or inaccessible.

Invest in security:

Another way to protect your business from cyber extortion is to invest in security. This includes things like firewalls, antivirus and anti-malware software, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and data encryption.

Guardio can help to prevent attacks and limit the damage if an attack does occur. Guardio removes any malicious extension attempting to install malware on your device and alerts you before installing them in the first place. Also, when you are navigating on the web, if you are unprotected, you can find dangerous websites with intrusive notifications and popups that could be harmful. Guardio protects your computer by eliminating notifications, tracking sources and connections, and blocking them.

Train your employees:

One of the best ways to protect your business from cyber extortion is to train your employees on how to identify and avoid threats. They should know what to do if they receive a suspicious email or are asked for personal information and avoid downloading files from untrusted websites. Guardio can help you with that. Guardio scan and blocks malicious and harmful downloads and notify the user once Guardio recognizes a malicious site.

Keep your software to date:

Ensure you update your security software, as new threats are constantly emerging. Hackers take advantage of any security vulnerabilities in software to gain access to systems. Keeping your software up-to-date can close these security gaps and make it more difficult for hackers to compromise your systems.

Create strong passwords: Creating strong passwords is one of the most important things you can do to protect your business from cyber extortion. Guardio notifies you when it's time to update your password. In addition, you can generate and store your passwords using a secure password manager instead of saving them in your internet browser.

Guardio is a Chrome extension that monitors suspicious activity and blocks hackers from stealing your data.

Include DDoS security capabilities:

A DDoS attack is when a hacker sends so much traffic to your website that it crashes. This can be done by overwhelming the server with requests or by flooding it with data. A DDoS attack can take your website offline, preventing customers from accessing it.

Protect your device against hijacking:

Hijacking is when someone changes your browser's settings without you knowing or approving or replaces your regular search engine with one from an unfamiliar source. The consequences of hijacking are that you could be taken to a malicious website where your personal information could be stolen, or your device could be infected with malware. Any search hijacking attempts are immediately directed to your preferred search engine by Guardio.

Run an information leak monitoring:

A data breach in a service you have an account with might put your privacy at risk. Guardio displays past leaks and can notify you in real-time so that you may act fast to avoid identity theft. With one membership, Guardio can keep track of 5 distinct email addresses and monitor them all simultaneously.

Bottom line

Prevention is the first step to avoiding being a victim of cyber attacks. We recommend starting taking steps to protect your business, and Guardio is a great way to help with that. With Guardio you can make it more difficult for hackers to target your business and reduce the chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime. Being aware of the dangers and protecting your company information while browsing the web is just the beginning. Cybersecurity is a very serious topic, and it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest threats and prevention methods.