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Company devices are an easy target for hackers. Cybercriminals can access a company’s entire network by breaking into a single unprotected device. Company devices can easily be infected with malware when users visit unknown sites. Malicious programs can steal business data, force app downloads, or install adware upon entering the devices. Company devices contain a lot of data, including customer and business information.
If the devices are successfully hacked, this data can be stolen, compromising your business’s cybersecurity and leading to more severe issues like identity theft and financial fraud. With the right strategies, you can safeguard your organization’s devices from cybercriminals. Discussed below are six ways to secure company devices from hackers.
1. Leverage device as a service (DaaS)
DaaS is a model where IT providers offer access to hardware devices like tablets, smartphones, and computers as a service instead of outright selling the software. Adopting this model offers multiple benefits, including enhanced security. Trusted IT providers such as F12.Net Toronto IT company provide malware protection, data encryption, and other security features to ensure company devices and data are protected from hackers.
If your company’s IT department is strained, you may have a hard time keeping up with the most recent cyberattacks and even get overwhelmed by the daily security activities. If your device as a service provider offers extra services like monitoring, patching, and updating, they can help enhance device security by deploying consistent protocols for all device endpoints.
2. Install firewalls
A firewall inspects all the data flowing into your company network to find anything malicious or illegitimate and then keeps it from entering. Firewalls come in handy when seeking to protect company devices from hackers because they make it nearly impossible for them to break through. They keep hackers from gaining unauthorized access to everything you’ve stored in the company network, including emails and data.
Firewalls can also send notifications in case of a hacking or intrusion attempt. Although there are several firewall bypassing or hacking tricks cyber attackers can use to get past or break your company’s network firewalls, the following proactive measures can help protect against them:
- Use multiple firewall solutions at various levels: A single firewall isn’t enough to protect your company devices and data from hacking and other malicious activities. So, employ several firewall solutions to keep hackers from getting past or breaking your network firewalls
- Run regular penetration tests: These tests can help spot previously unknown vulnerabilities in your organization’s firewalls and address them before attackers can use them
- Keep up with security updates and patches: Most hackers use known vulnerabilities in common security tools and software. Applying regular security patches to your company’s hacker protection software can help attackers out more easily
3. Use antivirus software
Antivirus programs immunize your company devices against unauthorized coding or software, meaning they can stop hacking criminals that use malicious programs like remote access trojans (RAT) and malware. These programs usually identify viruses and malware via the files in their databases. Most antivirus programs can also scan your company devices for any suspicious behavior, helping you identify threats that aren’t part of the database. Antivirus software deploys several actions to stop hackers. It can detect and resolve security threats in real-time, destroying the hacker’s efforts to compromise your company’s devices.
4. Invest in employee training
Employee negligence is among the top ways hackers can access company data and devices. Since not all your team members are tech-savvy, they’re likely to be the weakest link in hacking attacks, necessitating the need for training. Employee training is among the best defenses against company device hacking. Phishing is a common way for hackers to try to access business data. It involves using text messages and email to trick them into divulging sensitive information.
Ongoing cybersecurity awareness training is vital because best practices and cyber threats are constantly evolving. Your company can train employees on cybersecurity awareness by recruiting cybersecurity experts to deliver training sessions. These professionals can offer detailed training in different sessions, such as:
- Spotting and preventing phishing attacks
- Catching and reporting suspicious activities
- Using strong passwords and more
Online training resources, like interactive simulations, videos, and webinars, can offer your staff easy access to cybersecurity education.
5. Use complex passwords
Strong and secure passwords cannot be underestimated when it comes to safeguarding against hacking. They protect your company’s electronic devices and data from unauthorized access. The more intricate the passwords are, the more protected your devices and data will be from hackers and other malicious attackers. To create good passwords that not only secure your company devices but also their sensitive data, consider:
- Using 2-FA (two-factor authentication): 2FA is an extra security measure that needs you to provide more details than a password alone to protect your devices and data from unauthorized access
- Ensuring your password is at least eight characters long: Hackers can sometimes use brute force to access your devices and accounts. Nonetheless, the longer your passwords are, the less likely it is for cybercriminals to hack your devices
- Incorporating lowercase and uppercase letters, symbols, and numbers: Hackers can easily crack simple passwords. As such, your passwords should be a combination of symbols, numbers, and letters to boost their complexity. Creating a complex password makes your devices hard to hack
- Changing the passwords regularly: Using the same password for a long time is very risky because it can get compromised. Consider updating your device and account passwords regularly. Avoid recycling old passwords to reduce the possibility of successful hacking attempts
6. Keep up with software updates
Hackers are constantly looking for weaknesses to exploit in dated software. Failure to update your company devices regularly makes them an easy target for cyber attackers. Software updates are vital not only for maintaining your devices’ performance but also for their security. These updates usually include patches that fix bugs or vulnerabilities hackers can use to access your company devices and data. Installing the most recent updates can minimize the risk of cyber criminals exploiting the vulnerabilities that can compromise your devices. To keep up with software updates, consider:
- Checking for updates frequently: If you’d rather do manual software updates, practice checking for updates regularly and update immediately after they’re released
- Enabling automatic updates: It’s the simplest way to keep your software updated without the need to check for updates manually
Endnote
While company devices are an easy target for cybercriminals, implementing the right strategies can help safeguard them. Consider applying these tips to secure company devices from hackers.