It might look like businesses and other non-profits are finally taking hacking seriously, but the numbers show that this is not the case. As an example, Symantec just recently found that three quarters of websites have major security holes. PWC also found that there were almost 40% more security events in 2015 than in 2014 (the 2016 numbers are still not in yet) and that theft of “hard intellectual property” has gone up by more than 50%. 2016 has really been the year of ransomware because of how many times it has been used, and there are no signs that this will change any time soon.
The opposite is true
It’s painfully clear that every company needs to do everything they can to keep their system security as strong as possible. Cybersecurity rules will be a big part of this.
What are rules for cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity policies are formalized sets of rules and regulations that tell people in a company how to use different kinds of devices and software that could cause cybersecurity problems. It is very clear in these rules what kinds of behavior are safe and what kinds are not. In addition, it is decided who is responsible if certain rules are broken and what will happen if the rules are not followed.
Different Kinds of Rules for Cybersecurity
You might choose to have a separate cybersecurity policies for each part of keeping your system safe, or you might decide to combine them all into one big policy. Either way, there are a lot of things that should be in it.
One thing is that the policy must say that all employees and members of the group must get at least some basic cybersecurity training. This training shouldn’t be a useless 30-minute talk during lunch. Even though this training is pretty simple, it needs to be done right. This will be very clear if you have a good protection policy. Everyone, even bosses and people in the C-suite, needs to learn about cybersecurity. Some might say it’s even more important to train the people in charge.
You should also include a rule about how to use all software that is meant to keep the company’s info safe. For example, workers should know that they should never turn off antimalware or lower defenses. They should always let their antimalware software get updates and let you know if there are any problems with it.
The company should also make people use passwords that are a certain strength, since bad passwords are one of the most common ways for hackers to get into an organization’s network. Also, workers should know that they should NEVER give out their password or any other access information to anyone else without first checking with their manager or a member of the IT team. People who work for you should know that phishing and email scams are two of the most common threats today.
If the company lets people bring their own devices to work, they need to tightly control how these devices are used, and only the employees who use those devices should be able to get to certain sensitive parts of the system. If workers take company devices outside, they should be told how to keep these safe while they’re not at work.
The cybersecurity strategy should also talk about how important it is to do regular backups. These will help protect more data in case of a breach.
Last but not least, a cybersecurity policies will say that any security holes or threats must be reported, even if they only seem odd. Also, make sure that your business has a plan for what to do in the event of a cybersecurity breach. Acting quickly can make a big difference.
Some suggestions on how to make your rules work
The first thing you should do is make sure that your cybersecurity rules are as clear and easy to understand as possible. The rules and guidelines must be made clear in the policies, and the words used must not be vague. There are no problems with what is being said.
The next thing you need to do is decide who will be in charge of training the workers and making sure that everyone in the company has been trained. After that, everyone needs to do what they need to do at the right time. To make sure people do their cybersecurity “tasks,” like regular backups and training, they might want to use software for organizing staff.
If you need to, give someone the job of making sure that people follow the safety rules you set up.
You should also choose who will be in charge if something goes wrong and who will handle any breaches. In order to handle any cybersecurity issues, your business needs a clear chain of command.
Last Word: Any business that wants to protect their data and their customers’ data needs to have a good cybersecurity policies, or a set of policies. There are too many risks in the world today to close your eyes and hope everything will be okay.
