Security
5 ways to minimize your data leakage in 2022
As you develop a data leaks prevention strategy for your business, be sure to include these five bulletproof measures
Cases of security breaches and data leaks became so prevalent in 2021 that they almost became a new normal. Data leaks also cost businesses millions of dollars every year, tarnish their reputations, and even cause some of them to go out of business.
According to a report by IBM, 2021 had the highest average cost of data breaches in 17 years at $4.24 million. Do not let your business be a statistic in this trend in 2022.
What are you doing to keep the possibility of a data leak in your business to the minimum in 2022? Whatever measures you put in place, here are five ways to complement your efforts.
Create Strong Undecipherable Passwords
Today, every business must get involved in how their employees and consultants create system passwords. Hackers and data thieves have invested in powerful computers that take a much shorter time to break weak passwords.
Today, it is more important that users create strong passwords than it is for them to change their passwords regularly.
There are simple but highly effective ways to prevent data leakage that you should have implemented by now. One way to minimize data leakage is to enforce strong password policies.
Businesses must dissuade users from using the same password for different services or accounts or contain subject matters linked to them.
As a rule of thumb, encourage users to avoid using business details such as a motto, their dates of birth, or the names of their children or pets.
A strong undecipherable password must be unique, complex, and contain multiple passphrases strung together.
Implement Data Security Protocols
Working from home and BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) is increasingly becoming the new way to work in 2022.
Businesses are now allowing users to access business data remotely, including smartphones. These devices are frequently stolen or lost because they are small and portable.
Bad actors take advantage of this to access confidential data, networks, and services on unsecured devices. Therefore, as a preventive measure, you must put in place data security measures to minimize unauthorized access from remote and portable devices.
The business’s data privacy protocols must also include privacy protection for the device owners and users.
For instance, the right measures may include the use of device tracking software that monitors data access and takes action when the device is reported lost or stolen or attempts to access confidential data the user is not authorized to access.
Advocate for Safe Internet Access Practices
The weakest link in business data security is often the human element in users. People often fail to think twice before connecting their devices to public Wi-Fi or accessing unsecured websites.
It is also not uncommon for users to keep their device Bluetooth powered on anywhere and at any time, even when they do not use them.
All these are just a few of the many practices that pose a risk to their devices and data and any confidential business information to which they have access.
One of the less appreciated yet effective safe internet access practices users should know is the importance of using a VPN.
This precautionary measure would go a long way to protect confidential data sent over public or unsecured networks, but many users rarely bother.
A business should inform users with access to its data on the threats that abound on the internet and measures they should put in place to minimize them.
For instance, you can educate employees working from home on how to secure their routers and advise them to update their passwords and settings for their security.
Do Not Underestimate Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-Factor Authentication, or MFA, is a layer of security to the application or system sign-in process that verifies that the user is who they claim to be.
The user will be asked to provide an additional identity factor such as a fingerprint scan or a One-Time-Password (OTP) SMS before they are granted access to the system.
It is much harder for hackers and crackers to access a system with MFA than they would with a plain old username-password-only combination.
It should be a rule that your business implements an MFA to protect itself against a sleuth of cyberattacks.
This measure alone will help prevent your business from phishing, keyloggers, man-in-the-middle attacks, credential stuffing, and brute force attacks.
Invest in a Data Loss Prevention Software
There are many types of data security software in the market. Despite working in different ways, most of them are built to improve business and information security.
It is precarious for a business to operate without data security software in 2022, considering the ever-increasing cases and sophistication of hacking, ransomware, spyware, viruses, and other forms of malware.
A good data loss prevention software can help protect your business from data leaks. The best in the market achieve this by:
- Controlling permissions to access business information
- Monitoring access attempts on workstations, servers, and networks
- Auditing information flows within and outside the business
- Controlling information transfer channels
A data loss prevention software enables you to create policies and personalize the levels of protection for different data assets. Some even use advanced algorithms to intercept and block potentially leaked data.
Conclusion
As customers become more aware of the dangers and threats of data leaks and data thefts, businesses have no choice but to find better ways to protect their data.
As you develop a data leaks prevention strategy for your business, be sure to include these five bulletproof measures and keep your business’ and customers’ data safe in 2022.
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