Top 6 Ways to Safeguard your Digital Assets

 

Data breaches can be costly for your business. Tech giant Sony discovered this in 2014 after being the victim of a hacking attempt, paying an estimated $8 Million in damages.

Aside from the risk of intellectual property theft, many jurisdictions have also introduced laws such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to govern how companies store customer data, with stiff legal penalties for those who don’t do enough.

Fortunately, . While you can’t eliminate the risk of data breaches entirely, there are some simple things you can to do to considerably reduce the risk.

  1. Update & Upgrade

The recent WannaCry ransomware attack exploited a vulnerability in the Windows OS. Microsoft had actually release an update to fix this particular vulnerability several months before the cyber-attack which affected a number of countries and millions of computers.

Older operating systems such as Windows XP may also no longer be officially supported. Make sure your organisation has a strict policy or running regular updates and upgrading to the latest operating systems wherever possible.

SBM software security solution can help reduce and mitigate associated cyber security risks from wanncry like ransomware , future attacks and OS complex patch management through IBM Bigfix solution, an endpoint and security management platform that provides real-time visibility and control to keep all endpoints continuously patched, secure and compliant.

Please visit and register here to learn more about how to orchestrate your security defense:

2. Always Encrypt

Your organization’s data is precious, so should always be encrypted when in transit or at rest. This means employing full device encryption, e.g: using Microsoft’s Bitlocker on all company devices. This means if an attacker gains physical access to a machine while it’s switched off, they won’t be able to steal or otherwise tamper with sensitive data.

If your organization has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, make sure to require encryption on all devices. Use a platform which will allow you to remotely lock and erase devices which are lost or stolen.

Many companies these days entrust their data to cloud storage providers. If your organization does this, make sure to choose one which supports end-to-end encryption. This means that sensitive data before leaving your company’s network. Without the correct password, the data is useless.

Data is the crown of jowls for any organizations , so SBM security solution can help protect these data through IBM Guardium solution even if the data is on-premises , cloud or hybrid

3. Vulnerability managements

If your organization hosts its own website or online portal, make sure to these regularly using a vulnerability scanner. For work critical applications, you should consider auditing your network with the help of IBM Security.

Vulnerabilities in your IT systems can allow attackers to gain unauthorized access and compromise your data. But constantly checking your entire IT infrastructure for weaknesses is a huge, costly and challenging task for any company to tackle alone.

SBM software security and services can help your organization identify and prioritize your environment vulnerability by providing the appropriate tool and consultation services even on premises or on the cloud.

Application vulnerability is one of the major security challenges in any organization, but with IBM Apps Enterprise Solutions you will be able to reduce and manage application vulnerabilities with highly powerful and easy to use tools.

4. Antivirus Software

Antivirus programs have had a poor reputation in the past few years as they failed to immediately stop dangerous malware such as WannaCry. This is because relatively simple antivirus software employs ‘signature-based’ detection to compare any programs on a computer to a database of known malware.

SBM can help your business deploy ‘heuristic’ algorithms which can detect malicious code hidden inside programs and automatically quarantine them so they cannot harm the machine. If you organization hosts its own mail server, this is especially important to avoid accidentally forwarding malicious attachments.

5. Two Step Verification

Two step verification also known as ‘two factor authentication’ (2FA) is a way to increase security when a person logs in to an online service. In addition the password user also enter a one-time verification code. This code can be transmitted via text message, a specialized app or even using a dedicated security token that the user carries with them.

If you organization makes any data available to employees or clients via the internet, consider introducing 2FA logins as this way, even if a hacker were to find out someone’s password, they’d also need to enter the code. This could have prevented attacks such as the 2014 theft of personal iCloud data from a number of celebrities’ accounts.

The easiest way to implement this is via a dedicated app such as Google Authenticator, which is available free of charge for Android & iOS devices via the Google Play and iTunes stores.

6. Physical Security

If a hacker can physically access a device, they may be able to tamper with it to steal your data. This is sometimes known as an ‘Evil Maid’ attack as hackers will sometimes impersonate cleaning staff, employees and couriers to try and gain access to your premises.
The invention of mobile attack platforms such as the Hak5 USB Rubber Ducky means that the person accessing the device doesn’t even need to know anything about hacking, as someone else can prepare the device for them.

The best way to prevent this is via a strict security policy which requires all visitors to sign in and out of your organization’s premises and be escorted at all times. Educate workers to check for any suspicious devices connected to their machines. Disable or physically lock down any unused USB ports. Make sure workers also lock their machines while away from their desks, even if it’s only for a short break.

SBM Network Services takes Enterprise Security seriously, providing end-to-end solutions. Talk to us today to find out how IBM & Cisco Products and solutions can upgrade your network security.