4 Ways That Businesses Should Mitigate Cyber Threats

Do cyber threats keep you awake at night? While they might not be as visible as physical attacks, they can cause even greater damage to businesses. They cost UK businesses an average of £1,200, rising for larger businesses. Other consequences range from business disruption to reputation damage and legal problems.

Unfortunately, they’re surprisingly common too. A recent government survey found that 32% of businesses had faced breaches or attacks 12 months prior. This figure increases for medium (59%) and large businesses (69%) and high-income charities, too (56%).

It’s crucial, then, that business owners and IT professionals take steps to counter cybersecurity threats. Below, discover five strategies worth building into your mitigation plan.

Keep software and systems updated

This first tip might sound overly simplistic. Perhaps you’re irritated by regular update notifications or slow installs. But updating your software and systems is key in combating new cybersecurity threats. Many patches are released purely for this purpose rather than cosmetic or other reasons.

Setting up automatic updates is an easy way to make sure updates are completed as soon as they’re available.

Provide cybersecurity training to employees

Your employees are an important yet vulnerable line of defence which hackers can target. It’s crucial that you regularly train them in the context of your networks and practices and threats that come with them.

For example, you may use port forwarding to make data transfers more convenient. This can open security gaps, so it’s important that your team understands what port forwarding entails for the company.

More generic topics to cover include suspicious emails, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication. You may also choose to reassess and limit access to fewer individuals as part of this.

Proactively look for threats and intrusions

Don’t settle for putting extra barriers in place and waiting to see what happens. Proactively hunting cyber intrusions allows you to respond in real-time.

Automated security tools can constantly detect and remove anything malicious from your network. They may also help you streamline and optimise your systems. Removing unnecessary hardware and software can reduce your attack surface and put you in greater control.

Create a disaster recovery plan

Unfortunately, some threats might break through even with all these precautions in place. Having a formalised disaster recovery plan can help you limit damage and get your business back up and running quickly.

Your plan should cover data protection, logins, and other factors that support business continuity. Crucially, make sure your plan is constantly evolving. Build in periodic reviews to make sure it covers any gaps as new threats emerge or your operations change.

Are there gaps in your business’ cybersecurity? Use these strategies to close them and protect your business, staff, and customers.