Cybercriminals no longer take the obvious route into your networks. They now focus on exploiting user habits, outdated systems, and trusted tools.
Most business owners understand the importance of protecting their organization with antivirus software, strong passwords, and always installing software updates. These, of course, are all excellent security measures, and Ophtek regularly reminds you of these essentials. But in response to this, hackers have developed more subtle attack methods. This means that rather than heading for the most obvious security points, they seek out weaker entry points.
Ophtek wants to keep you safe, so we’re going to highlight these open doors and how you can secure them. Here are five lesser-known ways your IT infrastructure could be vulnerable:
- Public Wi-Fi Used by Remote Workers: We now live in an age where remote and hybrid working setups are common. While they offer fantastic flexibility, they’ve also introduced new security risks. Employees, for example, can now access your IT systems from public Wi-Fi networks found in cafés, hotels, and airports. Hackers often target these networks as they don’t have the same protections in place that a company-managed network would. Consequently, it’s crucial that you install safeguards such as VPNs, multi-factor authentication, and secure device management.
- Forgotten Devices on Your Network: Over time, it’s easy for organizations to build up an inventory of old technology. This can range from laptops through to printers and security cameras. But the problem comes when people forget they’re still connected to your network. Hackers actively seek out vulnerable, outdated devices as known exploits mark them out as easy targets. This is why regular equipment audits are essential.
- Weak Third-Party Supplier Access: It’s common to allow external suppliers to have access to your systems e.g. payroll providers connecting to your network to process employee wages. However, this type of access can cause a major security headache. If one of those suppliers suffers a cyberattack, their credentials for accessing your system could easily be harvested. Therefore, it’s important that you regularly review who has access to your network, the level of their access, and whether access is still needed.
- Passwords Being Reused: Although most employees are now well educated around best password practices, they still find it easier to reuse the same password across multiple services. In the event of an employee’s password being compromised, this creates major security concerns for all the services they log in to. Luckily, by implementing multi-factor authentication, you create an additional layer of security which requires unique input to pass.
- Unsecured Cloud Applications: Cloud software is a necessity in the modern age, but it’s also created a few security gaps. Your employees can easily sign up for additional tools such as browser extensions and file sharing apps. This creates a risk due to the permissions granted to third-party software and poor security settings. It also means that your business may have sensitive data spread across multiple third-party services which are unmanaged. To mitigate this, create a list of approved software for your employees and disable installation privileges.
For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.
