8 quick ways to reduce your cyber risk

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Whether it’s the risk of a security breach or the possibility of hardware failure, every company has cyber risk that can affect their productivity or even their ability to continue running their business.

While there are no real shortcuts to proper cybersecurity and network management, there are a few simple ways to reduce your risks.

Here are 8 things you can do to reduce your cyber risk quickly:

  1. Upgrade or replace computers with operating systems that are no longer supported

Operating systems that are no longer supported do not get patched when flaws and security issues are discovered – this can leave your computers, data, customer information, compliance, etc. vulnerable to attacks. In addition, 3rd party software may no longer support your operating system, carrying its own security and functionality concerns.

  1. Make sure all computers have anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-malware software installed and working

This is kind of a no-brainer in this day and age, but you’d be surprised how many systems we find where they are either not installed or not configured properly for the network they are on.

  1. Make sure system patching is up to date on all computers

System patches and updates should be completed regularly. Patches come out all the time for new holes in security that have been found. To make things worse, malicious software developers can reverse engineer these patches to discover where the hole is and use this information to attack computers that have not yet been patched.

  1. Ensure password policies are consistent, passwords expire regularly and they have appropriate length, complexity, and history

Passwords provide essential protection to your computer, system, and data. Inconsistent password policies, or password policies that are not stringent enough make it much easier for hackers to break in and access your information.

  1. Disable or remove user accounts that are no longer needed
  2. Disable or remove inactive computers from your permission and access manager (ie. Active Directory)

These two “housekeeping” tasks reduce access points for hackers to enter your system.

  1. Enable automatic screen lock on important computers

Automatic lock screens limit the amount of time your computer can be accessed before requiring a password. It’s good practice to lock your screen as soon as you step away from the computer, but since many people forget this step, automatic lock screens can be set to shorten the potential access time period.

  1. Ensure adequate disk space on servers

Slow speed, inability to save files, and frequent crashes can all be caused by low disk space. Low disk space can also cause scheduled backups to fail and prevent other critical processes from running properly. This may not be a security risk, but it is certainly a risk to the stability of your system and the productivity of your teams. If you were to have a cyberattack and your scheduled backups were not occurring properly, you could have an even bigger problem on your hands.

These 8 best practices aren’t terribly challenging or overly time-consuming, but they are critical to keeping your systems running safely and smoothly.

If you need help accomplishing these IT tasks, feel free to reach out using the form below.

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