7 Ways to Avoid Small Business Data Disasters

Cyber attacks have become all too common among large and small businesses alike. In fact, 71 percent of cyber attacks occur at

businesses with fewer than 100 employees, according to the U.S. government.

Avoid becoming part of this statistic with these seven tips on how to prevent hackers, scammers and ex-employees from infiltrating your small business’s important information.

In today’s complicated and connected world, it’s crucial that you use different passwords for all of your online accounts. Use a service such as Dashlane or LastPass to generate individual passwords that require two-step authentication automatically. This will give you peace of mind about your passwords and the information you keep behind them.

01. Avoid the Password Pickpocket

02. Bypass Mobile Mayhem

Whether your employees use their personal cellphones for work or you supply them with company cellphones, educate them about insecure Wi-Fi connections. Many cellphones will automatically connect to available Wi-Fi networks until you disable this within the phone’s settings. Encourage employees to only join Wi-Fi networks that they are familiar with to prevent any accidental data sharing.

03. Hinder Unwanted Downloads

Employees might not realize they’re doing anything wrong by clicking on a simple Internet link. By clicking on the wrong link, however, they may wind up accidentally downloading malware. Install software that blocks downloads,

such as Windows Program Blocker or AllowBlock, to keep your computers safe from malware that may install a virus or Trojan horse on your computer.

04. X-Out Ex-Employees

Have an off-boarding process for employees that leave your company (on good or bad terms) that involves canceling email accounts, deleting cloud accounts, retrieving any company-owned technology and ensuring they no longer have access to any of your networks. A set process like this will help ensure that your company information is safe.

05. Beware of Bluetooth

Although it’s convenient, using Bluetooth can cause security vulnerabilities. Switch your devices, such as laptops and cellphones, to “not discoverable” whenever you aren’t using Bluetooth. This is particularly important whenever you’re in a crowded place such as a café or train station — some of hackers’ favorite playgrounds.

06. Don’t Go Phishing

Phishing is when a hacker is able to collect sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card info, through a fake website or link. To avoid scams like this, keep your point-of-sale (POS) system separate from where you access email, as this is typically where these scams occur. Also, immediately delete any strange emails you suspect are part of a phishing scam.

07. Keep an Eye on Your Third-Party Service Providers

If you deal with any third-party service providers that access your systems remotely, such as your POS, ensure that they follow top-notch security practices such as enforcing multifactor authentication and collecting audit trails of all remote access activity. This will prevent data, such as customer credit card information, from reaching hackers’ hands.

Advice Action InspirationFederal laws only protect

personal accounts from hacks

and fraud. Look into cyber

insurance to protect your

small business from any

losses that you might face

from a data breach.

It can take months to realize

you’ve been hacked. To avoid a

breach from going undetected,

hire a data safety consultant

that can identify your business’s

unique risks and design a

program to protect you.

“It takes 20 years to build a

reputation and five minutes to

ruin it. If you think about that,

you’ll do things differently.” — Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire

Hathaway