6 Tips For Protecting Your Information Online

6 Tips For Protecting Your Information Online

. 3 min read

It's no secret that cybercrime is on the rise. As a result, businesses are at risk of being hacked and losing valuable data, or worse yet, having their reputation tarnished by a security breach every day.

Businesses are constantly at risk of cybercrime, a considerable threat to any company, large or small. It's easy to think that this kind of attack will never happen to you, but they are becoming more and more common, and no business can afford to be left vulnerable.

Despite this, many businesses are not using a VPN, anti-malware software or other strategies to protect themselves from cybercrime.

The statistics are sobering. Cybercrime costs the global economy over one trillion USD every year. That is a figure that has almost doubled since 2018. The Australian Cyber Security Centre receives around 144 reports of cybercrime from Australian small businesses a day, one in every ten minutes. That means our business sector is losing $300 million every year because of cybercrime.

It is not just businesses themselves being hit; it is their customers. The Notifiable Data Breaches scheme has been introduced by the Australian Government's Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which means small businesses are obliged to report all instances of customer data falling into the wrong hands.

As a business owner, you know that your success depends on the trust of your customers. But it's hard to keep their confidence when they can't tell if you're protecting them online or not. Unfortunately, not just the customers impacted by a data breach will walk away from your business. Research has shown that 43 per cent of all of your customers are at risk of leaving your brand and never returning post-breach.

Your customers need to see that you are doing everything possible to protect them from hackers and other cybercriminals. They don't want to worry about whether or not they are safe when visiting your site. Here are six measures you can put in place to protect your information online.

VPNs Are a Great Way to Protect Your Business

A VPN is an online service that allows people to connect to the internet securely and privately. It hides your IP address, encrypts your data, and prevents third parties from monitoring or intercepting what you do on the web. They also allow employees to securely access business systems and networks from any location, including their own home.

Show Your Customers Your Site is Secure with HTTPS Encryption

HTTPS encryption is a way of securing the connection between your browser and the website you are visiting. This ensures that no one can intercept or tamper with any information transmitted between these two points. It also protects against man-in-the-middle attacks, where someone could pretend to be both the server and the client. Customers can see you have this protection because the HTTPS is right there in your URL.

Add Extra Protection With Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring a second form of identification before logging in or accessing sensitive information. It's like having two keys for the same lock - one key can't open the door without the other.

Secure Password Storage

Easy-to-use password managers are available that can encrypt your passwords and save them in one place, so you're not scrambling to remember all your accounts' login info every time you log into something.

Use the Best Antivirus, Anti-malware and Firewall Protection

Not only should you have the latest anti-virus, anti-malware and firewall protection available installed on all devices in your business network, but they should be regularly updated to ensure they are current and compliant.

Educate and Train Employees

The best way for companies to protect themselves against data breaches is by training their staff on how to handle sensitive information. This will help your company avoid fines from regulators and save you money in the long run by reducing your risk exposure.

It is important to note that the vast majority of data breaches occur because of human error, so having all of the most robust safety measures in place will only be effective if your team is well trained and aware of their responsibilities.



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Laura Kemp

Laura is from the UK and has a background in digital marketing for consumer products across global markets.

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