Our lives are made easier by smart devices, which are incredible. You may program your smart light bulbs to switch on and off based on your activity and change the color of the lights in your home. We can use phone apps to monitor our homes when we have cameras connected to the internet. Regretfully, a lightbulb attached to your WiFi might serve as a doorway for cybercriminals to initiate an assault. It can happen to you, and it does happen. Cybercriminals use vulnerabilities in smart gadgets to launch Internet of Things (IoT) attacks against individuals and companies.

By regularly updating the software on your devices, utilizing multi-factor authentication, and altering the default passwords, you can thwart Internet of Things attacks.

To find out how IoT attacks operate and how to stop them, continue reading below.

• How To Prevent Internet of Things Attacks
• How Can We Ensure That Our IoT Devices Are Safe From Cyber Attacks?
• What Methods and Tools Can Be Used to Protect IoT Devices From Cyber Threats?
• Which Industries Are Most Vulnerable to IoT Security Threats?
• What is the Biggest Cyber Threat From IoT Devices?
• What are the Types of IoT Cyber Attacks?
• What are the 10 Ways of Preventing Cyber Crime?

The network of intelligent physical objects that go beyond conventional computers, phones, and tablets is referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart TVs, smart lightbulbs, and other items with internet connectivity are commonplace in many households nowadays. Through the connection, users may program unique functionality into the devices, including scheduling the on and off of smart lightbulbs via an app or operating the gadgets directly from their phones. Smart TVs don’t need to connect an extra device to stream content from the internet.

These gadgets serve as a gateway for network access in IoT assaults. Cybercriminals profit from users’ lack of consideration for protecting their devices in the same manner as they do for their PCs, including employees of businesses. Our networks, regrettably, are only as strong as their weakest link. Even one vulnerable IoT device can be used by cybercriminals to breach a network and steal your personal information.

Similar to your laptops, Internet of Things devices also require protection from cyberattacks. If an IoT device is compromised, the cybercriminal can gain access to your network and install malware, or harmful software, because the device is connected to your home network.

A cybercriminal has the potential to steal your data if they are able to gain access to your network. This can include Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for specific individuals. Cybercriminals may take sensitive data and employees’ personally identifiable information from enterprises. Malicious uses for stolen personally identifiable information (PII) could include identity theft or money theft from your bank accounts. Recovering from this kind of attack can be exceedingly challenging.

Sometimes smart devices are hacked for even more disturbing purposes – such as monitoring people inside their homes.

IoT attacks can affect both individuals and organizations that use IoT devices. Here are some examples of frightening IoT attacks:

• Research has connected some identity theft-related cyber attacks to the Internet of Things.
• A cybercriminal hacked into an internet-connected baby monitor and spoke to the baby through the device. Similarly, baby cams have also been hacked – allowing cybercriminals to peer into the victim’s home.
• It was discovered that an IoT car could be hacked at a distance, resulting in the hacker being able to take control of the vehicle.
• Doorbell cameras, which allow homeowners to see who is outside of their door before opening it, have been hacked in order to swat the homeowner – which is a form of harassment that involves lying to the police in order to send a swat team to the victim’s home and put them in danger.
• Smart thermostats, which allow the user to change temperatures using an app, have been hacked by cybercriminals who then changed the user’s settings.

As you can see, any kind of IoT device can be exploited, resulting in serious consequences for the user. 

Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS, is an attack method where hackers overload a network with bots to cause disruptions. As a result of the server being swamped by millions of bots rather than actual users, actual users find it difficult to access whatever network was flooded.

Attacks of this nature have the potential to seriously impair enterprises’ productivity and, consequently, income. Additionally, it may prevent users from accessing essential services, which could have major repercussions.

Because of the vulnerability of IoT devices, cybercriminals can easily use them as part of what’s called a “botnet,” which enables the DDoS attack. The hacked IoT devices can be commanded to help flood networks alongside other hacked devices. The more unprotected IoT devices out there, the bigger the botnets.

How To Prevent Internet of Things Attacks

Here are some ways to prevent IoT attacks.

1. Practice good cyber hygiene

Cyber hygiene means using everyday best practices to keep safe on the internet. Practices like using unique, strong passwords for every account and device or not sharing unnecessary information online can help prevent a variety of attacks, including IoT attacks. 

2. Secure your network

You should secure your WiFi network by changing the default password to a strong, unique password, along with changing the network name and encrypting web traffic in your admin settings. Many people use the default credentials for their WiFi network, which can be easy for cybercriminals to guess.

Strong passwords are hard to remember, so we recommend using a password manager – like Keeper Password Manager – to automatically generate and store passwords for you.

3. Use a guest network for IoT devices

While some IoT devices need to be on the same network as your computer and phone for full functionality, many IoT devices can be hosted on a guest network instead. This creates an additional barrier for cybercriminals who want to use IoT devices to gain access to your computers or other devices that contain sensitive data. If your critical data and your IoT devices are on different networks, it makes it much more difficult for one to become a doorway into the other.

4. Control account access to IoT devices

Some IoT devices have privacy settings that you can use to help control device access. This is important because the more people who have online access to the device, the more likely one of them will have their account compromised by a cybercriminal who can use that account to access your device for malicious purposes.

Businesses can use Privileged Access Management (PAM) to help control who has access to devices. PAM describes a type of software solution that businesses use to manage privileged accounts with access to sensitive information.

5. Physically secure IoT devices

Make sure IoT devices are physically secure. If someone can reach your physical device, that could help them hack into the device and ultimately the rest of your network and critical data. For example, if your business uses smart cameras to monitor your store, you should keep them out of reach of customers.

6. Disconnect devices when they are not needed

In order to reduce opportunities for cybercriminals to attack, you should disconnect IoT devices when they are not in use. Unplug the smart TV, turn off the baby monitor and otherwise disconnect your devices so they aren’t sitting ducks for cybercriminals.

7. Disable unused features

Similar to the above tip, turning off any features you don’t use in your settings will help reduce the attack surface of your IoT device.

8. Keep device software updated

Tech companies issue security patches as part of software updates, including for IoT devices. These patches are developed to fix security vulnerabilities that have been discovered either by the company or because of a cyber attack. It’s important to always update your software right away in order to prevent these vulnerabilities from being exploited.

How Can We Ensure That Our IoT Devices Are Safe From Cyber Attacks?

A burgeoning constellation of interconnected Internet of Things (IoT) devices has revolutionized the way businesses gather, share, evaluate, and extrapolate enormous amounts of data to gain insights into a wide range of topics, from optimizing business operations and boosting worker safety to comprehending customer behavior and boosting productivity.

It is getting harder for businesses to safeguard their connected devices and fend off attacks as more and more of them are connected. IoT devices are appealing targets for thieves because they are rife with vulnerabilities and provide an attack surface ready for security lapses.

Enterprises confront comparable issues when it comes to managing, monitoring, and securing their connected IoT environments, regardless of whether they are just beginning to use IoT or are looking to expand their existing IoT networks. Businesses need to take into account a few factors in order to adequately protect IoT devices.

1. Employ Device Discovery for Complete Visibility

The first thing an enterprise should do is get visibility into the exact number of IoT devices connected to its network. Discover which types of devices are connected to your network and keep a detailed, up-to-date inventory of all connected IoT assets, ideally with a dedicated IoT security solution to ensure all devices are identified.

Collect the manufacturer and model ID; the serial number; hardware, software and firmware versions; and information on underlying operating systems and configuration applied to each device. Determine the risk profile of each device and its behavior as applied to other connected devices in the network. These profiles should assist with segmentation and next-generation firewall policy creation. You should always keep your asset map current with each new IoT device connected to the network.

2. Apply Network Segmentation for Stronger Defense

The security goal of network segmentation is to reduce the attack surface. Network segmentation divides a network into two or more subsections to enable granular control over the lateral movement of traffic between devices and workloads. In an unsegmented network, when a large number of endpoints communicate directly with one another without any partitioning in place, there is a greater chance that a single compromise event will spread laterally to become a contagion.

Read Also: How to Reach Maximum Technological Security

In contrast, the more a network is segmented, the harder it is for hackers to endanger a device as a single point of compromise for launching exploits laterally. Enterprises should use virtual local area network (VLAN) configurations and next-generation firewall policies to implement network segments that keep IoT devices separate from IT assets.

This way, both groups can be protected from the possibility of a lateral exploit. Greater integration between your IoT security solution and your next-generation firewall will add IoT context to your next-generation firewall’s capabilities and reduce both time and effort in policy creation.

3. Adopt Secure Password Practices

Poor password security practices continue to fuel password-related attacks on IoT devices. Therefore, maintaining strong password security is critical to securing your IoT endpoints. Many IoT devices come with weak preset passwords that are easy to find online. As soon as an IoT device is first connected to your network, it is a best practice to reset its preset password with a secure, more complex one. The new password should be difficult to guess, unique to each secured device, and in line with your IT security team’s password policies and management practices.

4. Continue to Patch and Update Firmware When Available

While most IT systems are able to patch security flaws via regular updates, most IoT devices aren’t designed with this ability, so their security flaws stay there indefinitely. In the case of IoT devices with particularly long shelf lives, there is often also a risk that the manufacturer will discontinue support. When setting up a new IoT device, visit the vendor’s website and download any new security patches for known vulnerabilities.

Ensuring your devices are regularly patched with the latest updates is important, so work with your IoT device vendors to establish a recurrent patch management and firmware upgrade strategy. To avoid data loss, add dedicated IoT-aware file and web threat prevention as well as virtual patching capabilities via intrusion prevention.

5. Actively Monitor IoT Devices at All Times

Real-time monitoring, reporting, and alerting are crucial for organizations to manage their IoT risks. However, since traditional endpoint security solutions require software agents that IoT devices are not designed to take, these traditional solutions cannot protect IoT assets. Take a better approach. Implement a real-time monitoring solution that continuously analyzes the behavior of all your network-connected IoT endpoints by seamlessly integrating with your existing security posture and next-generation firewall investment. 

What Methods and Tools Can Be Used to Protect IoT Devices From Cyber Threats?

The more ways there are for devices to connect to each other, the more opportunities there are for threat actors to intercept them. Hypertext Transfer Protocol and APIs are just two of the channels that IoT devices rely on that hackers can intercept.

The IoT umbrella doesn’t strictly include internet-based devices either. Appliances that use Bluetooth technology also count as IoT devices and, therefore, require IoT security.

The following IoT security challenges continue to threaten the financial safety of both individuals and organizations:

• Remote exposure. Unlike other technologies, IoT devices have a particularly large attack surface due to their internet-supported connectivity. While this accessibility is extremely valuable, it also gives hackers the opportunity to interact with devices remotely. This is why hacking campaigns, such as phishing, are particularly effective. IoT security, including cloud security, has to account for a large number of entry points to protect assets.
• Lack of industry foresight. As organizations continue with digital transformations, so too have certain industries and their products. The automotive and healthcare industries have expanded their selection of IoT devices to become more productive and cost-efficient. This digital revolution, however, has also resulted in a greater technological dependence than ever before. While normally not an issue, a reliance on technology can amplify the consequences of a successful data breach. What makes this concerning is that these industries are now relying on pieces of technology that are inherently more vulnerable: IoT devices. Not only that, but many healthcare and automotive companies weren’t prepared to invest the amount of money and resources required to secure these devices. This lack of industry foresight has unnecessarily exposed many organizations and manufacturers to increased cybersecurity threats.
• Resource constraints. Not all IoT devices have the computing power to integrate sophisticated firewalls or antivirus software. In fact, some devices can barely connect to other devices. IoT devices that have adopted Bluetooth technology, for example, have suffered from a recent wave of data breaches. The automotive industry, once again, has been one of the markets hit the hardest.
• Weak default passwords. IoT devices often come with weak passwords, and most consumers might not be aware that they need to be replaced with more secure ones. If default passwords aren’t changed on IoT devices, it can leave them vulnerable to brute-force and other hacking attacks.
• Multiple connected devices. Most households today have multiple interconnected devices. The drawback of this convenience is that, if one device fails due to a security misconfiguration, the rest of the connected devices in the same household go down as well.
• Lack of encryption. Most network traffic originating from IoT devices is unencrypted, which increases the possibility of security threats and data breaches. These threats can be avoided by ensuring all the devices are secured and encrypted.

A significant Bluetooth weakness allowed a cybersecurity expert to hack a Tesla Model X in less than 90 seconds in 2020. Similar attacks have happened to other cars that open and start with wireless key fobs. Threat actors have discovered a method to scan and imitate these key fobs’ interfaces in order to steal cars without even setting off an alarm. Any other smart gadget is susceptible to an IoT data leak, just as sophisticated machinery like a Tesla car is.

Enterprises can use the following tools and technologies to improve their data protection protocols and security posture:

• Network access control (NAC). NAC can help identify and inventory IoT devices connecting to a network. This provides a baseline for tracking and monitoring devices.
• Segmentation. IoT devices that need to connect directly to the internet should be segmented into their own networks and have restricted access to the enterprise network. Network segments should monitor for anomalous activity, taking action if an issue is detected.
• Security gateways. Acting as an intermediary between IoT devices and the network, security gateways have more processing power, memory and capabilities than the IoT devices themselves, which lets them add features such as firewalls to ensure hackers can’t gain access to the IoT devices they connect.
• Patch management and continuous software updates. It’s critical to provide a way to update devices and software either over network connections or through automation. Having a coordinated disclosure of vulnerabilities is also important for updating devices as soon as possible. Consider end-of-life strategies as well.
• Training. IoT and operational system security are new to many existing security teams. Security staff must keep up to date with new or unknown systems, learn new architectures and programming languages, and be ready for new security challenges. C-level and cybersecurity teams should receive regular cybersecurity training to keep up with modern threats and security measures.
• Team integration. Along with training, integrating disparate and regularly siloed teams can be useful. For example, having programming developers work with security specialists can help ensure the proper controls are added to devices during the development phase.
• Consumer education. Consumers must be made aware of the dangers of IoT systems and provided steps to stay secure, such as updating default credentials and applying software updates. Consumers can also play a role in requiring device manufacturers to create secure devices and refusing to use those that don’t meet high-security standards.
• Enforcement and automation of zero-trust policies. The zero-trust model dictates that all users — whether inside or outside the organization’s network — must be verified, authorized and continually evaluated for security configuration and posture before being given access to applications and data. Automating zero-trust policies and enforcing them across the board can help mitigate security threats against IoT devices.
• Multifactor authentication (MFA). MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring more than one form of identification when requesting access to a device or network. By enforcing MFA policies, both enterprises and home users can improve the security of IoT devices.
• Machine learning (ML). ML technology can be used to secure IoT devices by automating the management and scanning of devices throughout the entire network. Since every device connected to the network is scanned, it stops assaults automatically before IT teams are alerted. That’s what happened in 2018 when Microsoft Windows Defender software stopped a Trojan malware attack in 30 minutes.

Which Industries Are Most Vulnerable to IoT Security Threats?

Anywhere, including a manufacturing facility, a linked car, or a smart house, can experience an IoT security breach. The particular system, the data gathered, and the information it holds all have a significant impact on how serious the attack is.

For instance, it could be fatal if an assault disables the brakes on a linked car or compromises a connected medical device, such an insulin pump. Similarly, if temperatures vary, an attack on a refrigeration system that houses medication and is tracked by an IoT system can destroy its viability. An attack on vital infrastructure, such an energy system, water supply, or oil well, can also have disastrous consequences.

Other attacks, however, can’t be underestimated. For example, an attack against smart door locks could potentially allow a burglar to enter a home. Or, in other security breaches, an attacker could pass malware through a connected system to scrape personally identifiable information, wreaking havoc for those affected.

Generally speaking, industries and agencies that are most vulnerable to IoT security threats include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Retail companies.
• Trucking industry.
• Consumer electronics.
• Utilities and critical infrastructure.
• Healthcare.
• Education.
• Government agencies.
• Financial institutions.
• Energy and utility companies.

In a home-based setting, typically, IoT devices such as smart TVs, refrigerators, coffee machines and baby monitors are known to be vulnerable to security attacks.

In enterprise settings, medical equipment and network infrastructure devices, such as video cameras and printers, can be potential targets. According to research from IoT security provider Armis, 59% of the IP cameras their platform monitored in clinical settings have critical severities, while the second-most dangerous IoT equipment in clinical sites are printers, which have 37% unpatched Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, 30% of which are critical severity.

What is the Biggest Cyber Threat From IoT Devices?

IoT devices are essentially computers with the capacity to gather and handle vast volumes of private data. IoT devices can be anything from printers to webcams to networked medical devices to industrial control systems (ICS) and a host of other gadgets. It is necessary to safeguard the data that these devices have access to from possible exposure.

IoT gadgets may also be dangerous for both its owners and other people. An attacker may be able to go laterally behind an organization’s defenses by using an unsecured Internet of Things device to obtain access to the network. In order to carry out automated attacks like credential stuffing and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, Internet of Things devices can potentially be enlisted into botnets. IoT security can assist in protecting IoT devices and lowering the dangers to their cybersecurity.

IoT devices commonly come out of the box with basic security, making them an ideal target for attack and a serious security weakness for their owners. Some common security challenges for IoT devices include:

• Weak Authentication: IoT devices are notorious for their use of weak and default passwords. Several large botnets, such as Mirai, infected many devices simply by logging in using default and hardcoded passwords.
• Data Encryption: IoT devices commonly collect large amounts of sensitive data, but they don’t always protect it properly. For example, IoT devices frequently fail to encrypt data stored on devices or traveling over the network.
• Vulnerable Software: IoT device creators do not always follow development security best practices, including the use of reputable and updated libraries. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that IoT devices are often difficult to patch, leaving vulnerabilities exposed for exploitation.
• Insecure Protocols: IoT devices often use insecure network interfaces and protocols. For example, some IoT devices allow connections via Telnet, which exposes credentials and other data in plaintext on the network.
• Lack of Standardization: One of the main contributors to weak IoT security is the lack of security standards and requirements. For IoT devices, most security standards are optional recommendations, if they exist at all.

The poor state of IoT security impacts both the device owners and others. IoT devices can be exploited to leak data, grant unauthorized access, or perform various attacks against other systems.

Below are some best practices:

Some best practices for managing an organization’s exposure to IoT security risks include the following:

• Device Discovery and Risk Analysis: IT teams may be unaware of the existence of IoT devices connected to corporate networks. Automated device discovery can help to identify unknown IoT devices and assess the potential security risks that they pose to the organization.
• Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA): IoT devices can be used as an access point by cybercriminals who then move laterally through an organization’s systems. ZTNA helps to segment IoT devices from the rest of the network and limits their access, reducing their ability to access sensitive data and other systems.
• IoT Threat Prevention: IoT devices can contain exploitable vulnerabilities, but traditional endpoint security solutions often do not work on these devices (e.g., resource constraints, diverse ecosystems, specialized functionality, lack of user interfaces and more). Also, some IoT systems aren’t or can’t be updated by their owners. IoT threat prevention solutions help to prevent attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in these devices.

What are the Types of IoT Cyber Attacks?

IoT attacks are a cybercrimes against Internet of Things devices. These devices can be vulnerable to hijacking due to weak IoT security measures, outdated firmware, and poor system design. Here are some of the most common types of IoT attacks:

• Device spoofing. A type of attack where a malicious device manipulates an authentic device’s IP address, MAC address, or other identifying information and pretends to be a legitimate one.
• Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. The concept of a MitM attack involves a hacker intercepting communication between two systems. The attacker impersonates the original sender to trick the other party into thinking they’re receiving a legitimate message. MitM is usually carried out to extract sensitive information and disrupt services.
• Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. DDoS attacks on IoT devices overload the network by flooding it with constant traffic, such as fake requests. This way, an attacker overwhelms the system, crashes it, and causes a denial of service to legitimate users.
• Eavesdropping. Threat actors perform eavesdropping, also known as sniffing or spying, to intercept and listen to or monitor the communication between IoT devices.
• Malware attacks. Cybercriminals install malicious software on IoT devices to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, control the device, or spy on network activity or conversations.
• Zero-day attacks. During a zero-day attack, a hacker exploits unpatched vulnerabilities in the software of IoT devices previously unknown to cybersecurity engineers. Such attacks are dangerous because there’s no available fix during an attack.
• Password cracking. Hackers use different methods, like brute force attacks, to decrypt system passwords and gain access to IoT devices. The weaker the default passwords and password practices, the easier it is for attackers to hijack IoT systems.
• Firmware manipulation. In this type of attack, a cybercriminal modifies the firmware of an IoT device to alter its functionality and further perform malicious actions.

These most common IoT attacks underscore the importance of strong security measures, regular software updates, secure passwords, and intrusion detection systems (IDS). It’s always better to take care of your system security now so you don’t have to regret it later.

Most IoT devices offer immense convenience and efficiency for our daily lives and routine tasks, whether at home or work. Aside from your laptop, smartphone, or tablet, which are relatively well secured, other devices like smart TVs or wearables to track your steps are more often exposed to cybersecurity threats. The following are the most common reasons why your IoT devices may become a sweet catch for hackers:

• Weak passwords. One of the fundamental reasons IoT devices are a prime target for threat actors is default or easy-to-guess passwords that allow them entry into the device with little effort.
• Unsecured cloud storage. Lack of protection in cloud storage may allow hackers to manipulate or steal your confidential data easily.
• Unpatched software. Because outdated IoT software or firmware contain known vulnerabilities, it provides threat actors a loophole to exploit weaknesses.
• Insecure network connections. Public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks increase the risk of devices being attacked and ease hackers’ process of gaining control over them.
• Lack of encryption. Anyone who intercepts your unencrypted data can read it, which increases IoT security risks.
• Physical tampering. Physical access to an IoT device may allow attackers to extract sensitive data, install malicious firmware, and compromise the security of your IoT devices.

Because of increasing reliance on IoT devices, it’s crucial to remain vigilant and proactive about these security threats. Ensure you take all the necessary measures to safeguard your IoT devices from potential threats and enable their secure operation.

What are the 10 Ways of Preventing Cyber Crime?

An intentional exploitation of your network and/or systems is called a cyberattack. Malicious code is used in cyberattacks to breach your computer, logic, or data in order to steal, leak, or take control of your data. Preventing cyberattacks is crucial for all businesses and organizations.

The following are some instances of typical cyberattacks and data breach types:

• Identity theft, fraud, extortion
• Malware, phishing, spamming, spoofing, spyware, trojans and viruses
• Stolen hardware, such as laptops or mobile devices
• Denial-of-service and distributed denial-of-service attacks
• Breach of access
• Password sniffing
• System infiltration
• Website defacement
• Private and public Web browser exploits
• Instant messaging abuse
• Intellectual property (IP) theft or unauthorized access

1. Train your staff.

One of the most common ways cyber criminals get access to your data is through your employees. They’ll send fraudulent emails impersonating someone in your organization and will either ask for personal details or for access to certain files. Links often seem legitimate to an untrained eye and it’s easy to fall into the trap. This is why employee awareness is vital.

One of the most efficient ways to protect against cyber attacks and all types of data breaches is to train your employees on cyber attack prevention and inform them of current cyber attacks.

They need to:

• Check links before clicking them 
• Check email addresses from the received email
• Use common sense before sending sensitive information. If a request seems odd, it probably is. It’s better to
  check via a phone call with the person in question before actioning the “request”

2. Keep your software and systems fully up to date.

Often cyber attacks happen because your systems or software aren’t fully up to date, leaving weaknesses. So cybercriminals exploit these weaknesses to gain access to your network. Once they are in – it’s often too late to take preventative action.

To counteract this, it’s smart to invest in a patch management system that will manage all software and system updates, keeping your system resilient and up to date. Leaf offer patch management as part of their managed security solution.

3. Ensure Endpoint Protection.

Endpoint protection protects networks that are remotely bridged to devices. Mobile devices, tablets and laptops that are connected to corporate networks give access paths to security threats. These paths need to be protected with specific endpoint protection software.

4. Install a Firewall.

There are so many different types of sophisticated data breaches and new ones surface every day and even make comebacks.

Putting your network behind a firewall is one of the most effective ways to defend yourself from any cyber attack. A firewall system will block any brute force attacks made on your network and/or systems before it can do any damage, something we can help you with.

5. Backup your data.

In the event of a disaster (often a cyber attack) you must have your data backed up to avoid serious downtime, loss of data and serious financial loss.

6. Control access to your systems.

Believe it or not, one of the attacks that you can receive on your systems can be physical, having control over who can access your network is really really important. Somebody can simply walk into your office or enterprise and plug in a USB key containing infected files into one of your computers allowing them access to your entire network or infect it.

It’s essential to control who has access to your computers. Having a perimeter security system installed is a very good way to stop cybercrime as much as break ins!

7. Wifi Security.

Who doesn’t have a wifi enabled device in 2020? And that’s exactly the danger, any device can get infected by connecting to a network, if this infected device then connects to your business network your entire system is at serious risk.

Securing your wifi networks and hiding them is one of the safest things you can do for you systems. With wireless technology developing more and more every day there’s thousands of devices that can connect to your network and compromise you.

8. Employee personal accounts.

Every employee needs their own login for every application and program. Several users connecting under the same credentials can put your business at risk.

Having separate logins for each staff member will help you reduce the number of attack fronts. Users only log in once each day and will only use their own set of logins. Greater security isn’t the only benefit, you’ll also get improved usability.

9. Access Management.

One of the risks of a business owner and have employees, is installing software on business-owned devices that could compromise your systems.

Having managed admin rights and blocking your staff from installing or even accessing certain data on your network is beneficial to your security. It’s your business, protect it!

10. Passwords.

Having the same password setup for everything can be dangerous. Once a hacker figures out your password, they now have access to everything in your system and any application you use.

Having different passwords setup for every application you use is a real benefit to your security, and changing them often will maintain a high level of protection against external and internal threats.