For many Small Business owners and managers, the news about the various cyber security breaches is overwhelming. There are about a dozen types of common breaches and hackers are devising new strategies every day. However, the truth of the matter is that hackers typically gain access because of some sort of vulnerability created by staff before they carry out any form of cyber attack.
As a professional, it’s very tempting to use your personal device for business use. You understand why your employees want to do it. However, businesses change and employees move on. After just a few short years, one device can hold volumes of extremely damaging data about your organization. In addition, your current staff has access to so much information about your organization and your clients.
Therefore, just like your staff has a professional side and a casual side, so must their technology. Often your employees are the biggest cyber-security threats to your organization.
When you consider the dozen or so forms of social engineering, you add even more cyber threats to a list of hacks that continues to grow with the speed of technology.
Unfortunately, it’s important for decision-makers to realize that, in many cases, human error, criminal behavior, and social engineering are the top reasons organizations are hacked in the first place.
Drive Defensively
In addition to educating your staff about what and who to avoid, you must also, “drive defensively.”
If you’ve ever driven in a metropolitan area with many careless drivers, someone likely gave you the advice to drive like the other person will always do something wrong, or, “drive defensively.” Unfortunately, until the cyber security landscape changes, that’s the way to handle employees and cyber security.
It’s crucial to:
- Delegate devices for business use, (either BYOD or company approved employee purchased),
- Destroy devices when staff members leave, and
- Monitor, secure and manage staff devices as part of your company’s network security,