When data breaches are in the news, it’s because cyber attackers have targeted a company or organization and exposed confidential information such as customer social security numbers, credit card information, passwords and more. With the growth of our digital world, keeping business and personal information safe has become a growing concern for businesses of all sizes. Cybersecurity is the set of technologies and practices that keep computer systems and electronic data protected from hacking, malware, spyware, viruses and more.
The most serious cybersecurity threats come from nation-states, hackers and cyber criminals. For example, Russian hackers have been linked to hacks targeting U.S. political entities and to the 2017 breach of the Office of Personnel Management, exposing the private information of 147 million federal employees. Hackers, meanwhile, may target companies for financial gain or to steal state secrets or intellectual property. They may also seek to disrupt the nation’s key infrastructure or use physical attacks in combination with cyberattacks.
Cyber threats are constantly evolving and attacks are getting more sophisticated and frequent. To prevent attacks from succeeding, businesses need comprehensive protection that covers endpoints, networks and the cloud. A disjointed approach can create openings that attackers take advantage of, while an integrated strategy builds up defenses and enhances organizational security.
To better protect your network and data, start by conducting a risk assessment and asset inventory to see what is at risk. Then consider solutions that alert you to software and firmware updates as they are available, so your network can stay up-to-date. And, if you use bring-your-own-device policies, consider an endpoint detection and response solution that can help control what is being brought onto your network to minimize exposures and the ability for attacks to spread.