Almost every industry has been a victim of cyber attacks and security breaches. Big companies have lost millions in these incidents, while smaller companies have suffered in various other ways. The consequence of a cyber security breach extends beyond the immediate financial & revenue losses. The damage to market standing & repute can take years in recovery, and many companies are still trying hard to bounce back. Your company may not have the resources to spend on an expensive bug bounty program, but certain cybersecurity steps go a long way in preventing security breaches and hacking attempts. 

1. Identify the threats first 

The foremost task is to identify the ways in which hackers may attack your company. Certain security concerns are universal – Think of malware attacks, phishing attacks, password theft, network infiltration, social engineering attacks and ransomware attacks. Make a list of the basic threats, so that you can create a cybersecurity that addresses all these concerns. 

1. Figure out the best practices

Much like threats, certain cybersecurity practices remain the same for every company. Here is a quick list- 

• Update all firmware & software regularly
• Create strong passwords and change the default ones
• Use a password manager
• Invest in Antivirus and Anti-Malware software
• Use WPA2 / WPA3 encryption for network security
• Use a firewall for every device
• Use multifactor authentication where required
• Monitor privileged users
• Reduce physical access to selected on-premise resources, including surveillance systems
• Use SSL/TLS Certificates for websites

1. Train your people 

Employees are eventually going to handle your IT framework and network resources, and most of the recent breaches can be attributed to internal resources. Ensure that your people know the best cybersecurity practices and their role in the same. 

1. Test your networks regularly

Run regular tests and scans to find bugs and other vulnerabilities within a network. You can also consider hiring experts for penetration testing, or consider getting an ethical hacker to test your systems to find flaws. 

1. Create an incident response plan

In case of a security breach, the immediate response of the team does matter, and for cybersecurity, having an incident response plan is absolutely critical. There are various things that you can consider, for which consulting with a cybersecurity expert is highly recommended. 

Change the way your organization looks at cybersecurity, because the risks and threats are getting complex with every passing year, and there is no excuse that can suffice the lack of an incident response plan.