Protecting Your Business From Emerging Virus-Related Cybercrime
This is Vernon Litigation Group’s weekly bulletin to support local small business owners and help navigate the challenges of staying in business, supporting employees and clients, supporting the community, and positioning local businesses for growth and success on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.
In last week’s bulletin, we discussed how to prepare for another potential shutdown as the second wave of COVID-19 emerges. As remote work continues for the foreseeable future, it is crucial for small business owners to understand the potential dangers arising from such circumstances.
In a recent article from Email Marketing Daily, identity and credit theft monitoring company IDStrong warns of new cyber-attacks from the second wave of the virus. strong CEO Levon Gasparian says that stay-at-home orders “will create new opportunities for scammers” because “Americans’ general fatigue with restrictions and precautions has allowed us to let our collective guard down.” As a result, cybercriminals are creating more virus-related emails that prompt people to disclose valuable personal information.
It is crucial for employees to protect themselves against these emails because it may have a direct impact on your small business. If your employees have sensitive company information on their computers, phishing emails may lead to criminals exploiting this information.
How can you reduce the risk of potential attacks on your business as employees work remotely? Here are four ways to increase security measures for your business and your employees:
- Complete work-related tasks on work devices. Encouraging employees to complete tasks on their work devices reduces the risk of potential vulnerabilities to your business. Employees using personal devices to complete work, on the other hand, may lead to a higher chance of vulnerabilities on your business network. Be clear with your employees that this is a priority.
- Implement endpoint protection. Endpoint protection goes the extra mile against cybersecurity threats. Endpoints are accessible to cybercriminals looking for personal information. It is crucial to protect endpoints in your network to limit the potential threats to your business.
- Use authentication methods. Authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication create difficulties for potential cybercriminals to access online accounts and personal information. Requiring multiple forms of verification increases the safety of your network and reduces the risk that company information is exposed to cybercriminals.
- Create complex passwords and change them often. Passwords that are difficult to replicate will pose challenges for potential cybercriminals. Frequently changing passwords also decreases the chances of becoming a victim. Encourage your employees to change and develop complex passwords frequently to avoid potential vulnerabilities to your business.
Although it is extremely difficult to ensure complete protection from Cybercrime, these four measures can drastically reduce the chances of security threats to your business. Continue to emphasize the importance of smart online practices with your employees as remote work continues throughout the foreseeable future.
If you have any questions or require further assistance to help you navigate through these difficult times, please feel free to give us a call. We are all in this together.
Vernon Litigation Group represents businesses & individuals throughout the United States who have financial disputes, including cyber litigation, securities litigation & arbitration, business & commercial litigation, financial advisors & employment disputes, and FINRA arbitration.