Online hackers pose numerous threats to the well-being of your company?s online accounts, email, and computer software. Compromised personal or business information can wreak havoc on you, your company, and your employees.
However, you can take action to protect yourself and your business. ?While business insurance can protect you from lawsuits and accidents, protecting yourself from online hackers is your job. ?Following proper security measures can help you prevent online hacking and keep control over your information and accounts.
Online Logins
The convenience of online software can make you vulnerable to the risks posed by hackers. Maintaining the security of your online accounts is paramount. Communicate with your internet service providers about keeping your company and employees safe while utilizing online business software. Confirm that they are utilizing sufficient security methods to protect your information.
- Be sure your online software uses SSL to secure your login activity. SSL (secure sockets layer) is used to keep logged-in sessions safe from hackers.
- Another layer of protection for your logins is the VeriSign Global Site Certificate. Often used together with SSL, this certificate is used to verify your login.
In addition to safety measures offered by your ISP, you can purchase software to help protect your login information and online activity from hackers. Two of the most popular programs are Titanium Internet Security and Safe Surfing for Mac.
Secure Passwords
The best way to control who has access to your accounts is to keep your account password private and to change it often. As TechnicallyEasy.net reports, ?A strong password is the most basic form of?online security?you could have.? Yet, most companies don?t regulate how often employees change their passwords.
Hackers who access business accounts can find and steal a variety of personal information about your employees, especially if you utilize online payroll services. ?This can be disastrous for anyone whose personal information is compromised, so take action now to protect the integrity of your passwords.
- WiseGeek.com suggests changing your password on a schedule, preferably once every three to six months. ?Some programs allow you to require password changes after a set amount of time. Many college campuses are already requiring this of their students.
- Create passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess. Avoid using birthdates, names of family members or pets, or anything else that could be gleaned from access to your personal records. Use upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. The longer and more complex your password is, the harder it is to hack.
Make sure everyone in your company knows how to change their passwords for all their programs and accounts, as well as how to recover that information safely should they lose access.
Offline Safety
It is important to maintain security on all your online accounts and email. However, there is another way that hackers can gain access to your company?s information, and that?s through your computer itself. Obsolete or out-of-date security settings on your computer create an access point for hackers into your computer?s systems. Prevent hackers from accessing your computer by keeping it up to date.
- Make sure your computer as well as your security software?s options are set to update automatically. If your computer uses a pop-up window to remind you to update, always follow through.
- Manually check your computer for available updates every couple of months in case you missed a pop-up notification. Follow all procedures for updating your computer, including reboots.
The only way to keep your computer completely free of risks is to have it turned off and unplugged. Unfortunately, that?s not going to help you run your business. Best practices have been developed for online and offline security. Be sure to follow these proper security measures to keep your computer, your business, and your personal information safe from hackers.
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About the Author.?Megan Webb-Morgan is a web content writer for?Resource Nation. She writes about small business,?focusing on topics such as?business insurance. Follow?Resource Nation on?Facebook?and?Twitter, too!
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