According to the 2021 Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2021 Data Breach Report, the number of cyber-attacks increased from 928 in 2019, to 1,613 in 2021. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Sun Canyon Bank wants to share four tips to protect your organization from cyber-attacks. 

Raise Cybersecurity Awareness 

It is important to build effective communication with all your employees so if there is a cybersecurity threat, they will let you know. Teaching them the proper education on how to spot these threats and mitigate them is also key to keeping your organization safe.  

Inform Employees about Common Phishing Techniques 

Teaching your employees how to avoid a hacker’s bait will allow them to make smarter choices when clicking on links. Cyber attackers use phishing to obtain employees’ credentials so they can infect the organization’s systems with malware or acquire financial information. Smishing, or SMS Phishing, is when a malicious link is sent to mobile devices through text messages, or SMS. Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a type of email scam where hackers try to make email recipients disclose secret information about their companies, technologies, and data, or even trick their victims into sending them money. The main targets are employees who deal with wire transfers and international partners. 

Your defense against phishing should consist of two key steps: Use a spam filter and teach workers about phishing techniques. 

Handle Passwords Securely 

The best way to handle passwords safely is to use specialized tools like a password vault or a privileged access management (PAM) tool. Passwords should be long, complex, and fully unique. When creating a password requirement for your employees, follow these recommendations. 

  • Use one password for one account. 

  • Use memorable phrases instead of short strings of random characters.

  • Use mnemonics or other tactics to remember long passwords. 

  • Don’t share credentials with each other. 

  • Change passwords after a set period. 

Use Multi-Factor Authentication 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps protect sensitive data through an extra layer of security. MFA makes it almost impossible for a malicious user to log in pretending to be you. Even if the malicious user had the correct password, they would still need a second or third factor of authentication to get in. These other factors include security tokens, your mobile phone, your fingerprints, or your voice. According to Ekransystem.com, “One of the Microsoft security managers has stated that using multi-factor authentication means that a user account is more than 99.9% protected from hacking attempts.” 

Protecting your organization from cyber-attacks can be quite simple if you implement the right strategies. We hope these four tips can get you and your organization on track to stay safe from all cybersecurity threats in your future.