Business Cyber Security: Protecting Your Business Against Cyber Attacks

Business cyber security is crucial no matter the size of your business because businesses of all sizes are at risk from cyber-attacks. We are living in a digital age, and with that comes the increased risk of your business being hacked. A cyber-attack can result in financial loss, data theft, and even the closure of your business.

Securing your business against cyber-attacks seems like a tricky, expensive process. While the work is difficult, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Not putting cyber security measures in place is expensive and is putting yourself, your employees, and your business at considerable risk – you are basically inviting the hacker in the door!

Why Should I take Cyber Security Seriously?

Cybercriminals attack indiscriminately whether you are a private individual, an SME, or a large corporation. To a hacker you are a target, they want your data, your money, or both! Unfortunately, many business owners don’t think about cyber security until it’s too late. By taking business cyber security precautions such as installing anti-virus software, creating strong passwords, and backing up data, you can help safeguard your business against cybercrime.

Why do I need a Cyber Security Company to test my network?

• Regulatory reasons, protecting sensitive and financial data
• Vendor compliance
• Prevent attacks – the fear or past experience of cyber attacks

Business Cyber Security Process

Just like when you start going to the Gym … There’s no point in going through your gym routine for a week and expecting to have the muscles or stamina you’re aiming for by the end of that first week. It takes time and dedication. Overnight is not a facet of going to the gym; to think otherwise would be naive. The same can be said for securing your business against cyber-attacks.

The first step … Make sure you don’t have any glaring holes in your security. For example, if you have SQL injection in the login form or search box on your website, then it’s going to be pretty much game over as soon as an attacker turns their eyes in your direction. Similarly, out-of-date software that’s vulnerable to a known exploit is likely to give an attacker a way straight into your network as soon as they discover it’s there.

After you’ve mapped out and checked your entire internet-facing estate for big holes the next step is to go through it with a fine-tooth comb and ensure you don’t have a number of minor vulnerabilities. When viewed in isolation these small issues seem insignificant and present minimal risk, but when seen in context with other more significant issues can be combined to create a glaring hole.

When it comes to hacking, the devil is in the detail. Some of the most satisfying hacks, from an attacker’s perspective, have resulted from chaining a list of low-risk vulnerabilities into one big attack mission. This is known as a ‘chain to compromise’ and it’s shocking how often it happens.

The next step ... After making sure you’re not at imminent risk, it’s time to devise policies that will keep you secure. These can take many forms, from updating software policies or coding standards. The more specific they are to your needs the better they will perform to protect you. Trying to implement general policies can be like playing darts blindfolded with no one calling out your scores.

Humans Make Mistakes

Even with the most advanced, well-configured systems in place, there is always potential for human error, so nobody can claim to have a 100% unhackable site. Human error is why hackers continue to succeed. The bigger the organisation, the greater the prospect of finding that one person who will make the mistake required to breach the perimeter. Here are some simple actions that will help protect your data (and business):

1. Use strong and unique passwords.
2. Change your passwords regularly.
3. Use multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
4. Update your software whenever an update becomes available.
5. Use the lowest privileges possible for whatever task you’re performing.
6. Train your staff in cyber security principles and ensure they are enforced.
7. Ensure your staff know how to spot malicious and scam emails.

How do I choose a cyber security company that’s right for me?

Cyber security is not a dark art, but some want you to think that! It is, however, a very specialised area requiring specific experience and expertise. When you’re looking to employ the services of a professional cyber security consultancy to help with your business cyber security, you need to check and ask the following:

• What type of cyber-attacks do they specialise in?
• Do they have experience in defending businesses against the type of attack that has previously affected your company?
• Do they have a solid incident response plan?
• What kind of technology do they use?
• Are they ISO 27001 certified?
• Do they have any case studies or references you can look at?
• What are the costs of their services?
• Do they have experience working with businesses of a comparable size to yours?
• What sort of security solutions do they offer?
• How often do they suggest you should conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration tests?
• Are their staff certified ethical hackers?
• Ensure you are not being charged for a full day when the work required can be completed in a much shorter time frame.

Why choose Ronin-pentest?

We want to bring cyber security to the wider market of users who know that security is an issue they shouldn’t be ignoring but don’t know how to go about putting cyber security measures in place. We desire to provide that advice and assistance at prices that any business can afford – not just the big ones!

We have a combined experience of over 20 years in the cyber-security industry; the majority of which was spent as part of the world’s largest Pentesting team.

We’ve developed a set of tools and policies that distil tried and tested methods, helping secure businesses of all sizes. Can we offer you a magic fix or silver bullet? No, unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Securing your business will take time and effort on your part and ours.

We will guide you through the process, examining your business in detail so we can identify how and by what methods attackers can target you. We will show you what changes need to be made to have strong business cyber security and reduce the risk of an attack being successful. After that, we'll help you develop, and implement, policies specific to your circumstances that will allow you to stay on top as the threat landscape evolves in the future. Contact us to we can help you get your business protected.