Introduction
We are living in a world that has gone fully digital. As the days go by, more technological advancements are being made. The current state of things is that almost everything that we humans normally do can be done online. A prime example of this point can be seen in how you have to run your business (if you are a business owner) or operate in your workplace.
The downside to this digitisation age is that crime has also gone digital and is perpetrated with great sophistication. Many people have already fallen victim to these digital crimes. However, there are steps that can be taken to prevent it at best or reduce these digital ills mostly known as cybercrime.
What is cyber insecurity?
This refers to the myriad of challenges, usually of criminal nature, that cyber activities can be prone to. The challenge for individuals and organisations then is to take adequate steps to ensure that they are not prone to these attacks, as billions have been lost and can still be lost to the perpetrators of these acts.
The question then becomes; what are those steps that one should take to ensure cyber security? The following are some of those steps:
*Ensure data encryption and backup
Generally, most people save their data in normal text. However, it has been discovered that this is quite easy for hackers to tamper with. Therefore, the advice is to have it encrypted. Again, it is important to backup all your data, in case of loss, which do occur at times; so as not to lose vital information that you need.
*Regularly inform and update your workers on cyber security developments
One of the ways that hackers, sometimes, gain access to an organisation’s cyber documents is through phishing. These are mails filled with malware that once opened (that is upon clicking the mail), the malware gains access to your cyber systems and wreaks havoc. Most victims of this means of hacking and the other means are usually uninformed of the various ways that these criminals operate. However, when your staff are constantly trained, they become aware and will not fall victim to these criminals.
*Update your software
You and your organisation should ensure continual update of your software systems. In doing this, security flaws in the previous model are fixed plus the addition of new features in the software systems.
*Use strong passwords
Though this might seem surprising, statistics show that a lot of hackings occur due to weak passwords. For this reason, it is important that you use complex passwords, as the simple ones will not just cut it because hackers only need a small window to breach your systems.
*Physical security
While cybercrimes are perpetrated digitally without requiring physical presence, it is still important to take physical security very seriously. This is because, access that cannot be got digitally can well be got physically;thus, an individual having direct access to your organisation’s physical building can clone, steal or make use of a loophole in the various offices in the organisation to gain access to important data in your system.
*Conclusion
As the world keeps getting more advanced, there is the need for individuals and organisations to keep up with the advancements in the world. It is also important to know that criminals and criminality also advance as well.
This, therefore, makes it very important for organisations to take their security seriously, especially in the area of cyber security, to prevent themselves from cybercrime.
