One of the most difficult aspects of the battle between security professionals and hackers is the seemingly endless exposure to cyber security threats. There are an ever growing number of threats to businesses critical information and files which companies must be prepared to address. Cyber criminals are ever creating smarter and more customizable programs that can do serious damage, and while security professionals are trained to meet those challenges head on, anti-virus software is only able to do so much. In order to protect your critical files, you and your employees must practice safe browsing. Today’s article will discuss the key threats to your critical files and what actions you can take to protect yourself.
Computer Viruses
The most well known cyber threat is a computer virus, which is a piece of software that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. Computer viruses are spread over a network or the Internet, as well as through removable media such as CDs or memory sticks. As such, knowledge of the reliability of specific files, websites, and external media is important to protecting your computer’s integrity. While the most damaging viruses delete files, reformat the hard drive of a computer, or cause other damage, the threat is adaptive and may even replicate itself, or present text, video, or audio messages.
Spyware
Spyware is similar to computer viruses in that software is secretly installed on a computer without the user’s consent. Spyware is unique in that it monitors user activity or interferes with user control over a device. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as websites visited, credit card details, usernames or passwords, as well as install other malware, redirect web browsers to malicious websites, divert advertising revenue to a third party or change computer settings. This loss of privacy and information security is of serious concern to personal users and business users alike.
Ransomware
Relatively new on the cyber-security scene, ransomware is a cyber crime where hackers essentially hold your digital data (files, photos, videos, etc.) for ransom in hopes that you will pay a fee to avoid losing precious information.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Business
Luckily there are a number of things you can do to protect your most sensitive files from these and other cyber security threats. First and foremost, be careful what email attachments you open and what links you click on. Anything received from a suspicious or unknown sender is of questionable security. Ant-virus and anti-spyware programs are helpful, but it is not enough to rely on software alone. You and your employees must be diligent and aware of risks encountered when browsing the web, downloading files, and updating computer security programs.
An important solution is to back up all your valuable files and data to protect against loss. This is the vulnerability that all cyber threats exploit. So long as you have your files backed up to an external device, then you can be confident that cyber attacks will only inflict a limited amount of damage to your business. Working with a document management partner such as Happy Faces Records Management is a safe and convenient way to ensure your most important files are secure.
