Despite growing awareness of cyber threats, many businesses engage in habits that leave them exposed to attacks. From neglecting software updates to overlooking employee training, here are six unhealthy cyber security habits that could be putting your business at risk.
Six Unhealthy Cyber Security Habits
1. Ignoring Software Updates
One of the most common yet dangerous cyber security habits is ignoring software updates. Updates often contain patches for known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals exploit. Failing to install updates promptly leaves your systems open to potential attacks. Whether it's operating systems, antivirus software, or applications, regular updates are crucial for keeping your digital infrastructure secure.
2. Weak Password Practices
Weak passwords are an open invitation to cybercriminals. Using easily guessable passwords or reusing them across multiple accounts significantly increases the risk of unauthorised access. Many businesses also fail to enforce strong password policies or implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), making matters worse. Encouraging employees to use complex, unique passwords and regularly updating them can help reduce the risk of password-related breaches.
3. Lack of Employee Training
Employees are often the weakest link in cyber security. Without proper training, they may fall for phishing emails, download malware, or mishandle sensitive data. Yet, many businesses neglect to provide comprehensive cyber security training. Regular training sessions covering topics like identifying phishing attempts, secure data handling practices, and incident response protocols are vital for creating a cyber-aware workforce.
4. Inadequate Data Backups
Data loss can be disastrous for businesses, yet many fail to implement adequate backup and recovery processes. Relying solely on local backups or neglecting to regularly test backup systems leaves businesses vulnerable to ransomware attacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters. Adopting a robust backup strategy including both onsite and offsite backups, with regular testing to ensure data integrity, is essential for mitigating the impact of potential data loss incidents.
5. Overlooking Mobile Device Security
As mobile devices become commonplace in the workplace, overlooking mobile device security is a serious oversight. Many businesses fail to enforce security policies on employee-owned devices or neglect to implement mobile device management (MDM) solutions. This oversight exposes sensitive business data to risks like device theft, unauthorised access, or malware infections. Implementing encryption, remote wipe capabilities, and enforcing strong authentication measures can help secure mobile devices and protect sensitive information.
6. Failure to Monitor Network Activity
Without proper monitoring of network activity, businesses may be unaware of suspicious or malicious behaviour occurring within their systems. Lack of network visibility makes it difficult to detect intrusions, data exfiltration attempts, or unauthorised access in real-time. Implementing robust network monitoring tools and establishing clear incident response procedures can help businesses proactively identify and respond to potential threats before they escalate into full-blown security breaches.
Protect your business with healthy cyber security habits
Ensuring your business is upholding healthy cyber security habits is crucial for safeguarding your business against the evolving threat landscape. By prioritising software updates, enforcing strong password practices, investing in employee training, implementing robust backup strategies, securing mobile devices, and maintaining vigilant network monitoring, businesses can significantly reduce their risk of cyberattacks. It's time to ditch these dodgy habits and adopt proactive cyber security measures to protect your business and its valuable assets.
How Can Diamond IT Support Your Cyber Security Defences?
Diamond IT can help you ensure your technology, policy and staff education programs align with best practice to protect you from the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. Our Business Technology Managers (BTMs) are specialists in improving your internal cyber security.
- Managed IT Support with Cyber Security.
- Cyber Security Awareness Training.
- Cyber and Data Breach Consulting and Forensic Analysis.
- Disaster Recovery (DR) Planning.
If you need advice on how you can ensure your cyber security strategy is fit for purpose our team of cyber security experts are ready to help. Contact our team on 1300 307 907 today.
