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Cyber Security Survival Guide: Holiday Edition

2 min read | Nov 8, 2017

Help Your Business Halt Holiday Hackers

The holiday season is one of the most vulnerable times of year for consumers and businesses alike. With an uptick in online shopping and internet usage in general, cyber criminals see the holidays as a lucrative opportunity. And while holiday consumers are certainly high value targets for hackers, businesses should still assume a heightened threat level for data breaches this November and December.

We’ve discussed best practices for cyber security at length on our blog, but they’re even more critical during the happiest season of all. Here are a few holiday internet security tips to help your business protect itself from lurking predators:

Identify Your Most Valuable Data And Guard It

With the holiday rush approaching, now is the time to take inventory of your company’s most valuable information leading into 2018. Keep in mind, this not only applies to private business data – it also includes any customer data you possess. Only once you identify that data can you take the appropriate next steps to protect it.

Educate Your Employees

According to Identity Theft Resource Center, 56% off all data breaches in 2016 occurred when an employee mistakenly clicked a malignant email link. To avoid becoming a 2017 statistic, be sure to educate your employees on email security. Here’s a handy email security infographic you can use as a reference point for your team.

Implement A Company Password Policy

Yes, it is convenient to have a default company-wide password for all devices and employees. But this type of model increases your chances of a breach tenfold. As a rule of thumb, you should mandate your employees change their passwords at least once every three months. You should also ensure they have different passwords for different services, utilizing a variety of upper and lowercase characters.

Be Jolly And Secure This Season

For peace of mind this November and December, contact Benton Tech to learn more about cyber security for your business. Have a wonderful, low-stress holiday season with family and friends!