Knowing Your Enemy
People always say keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer. With that being said, it is incredibly wise to keep up to date information on current and upcoming cyber security threats.
Ransomware is where a hacker takes the company information and holds onto it until a ransom is paid typically. Sometimes the hackers, after being paid off still do not turn over the information. Data leaking can come from an internal or external threat. A disgruntled ex-employee, or an aggressive competitor can be the person who does this to the company. Human errors happen all of the time, the effects can be noticed right away, or months down the road. The effects from these can have a tremendous effect on the company. Phishing schemes run ramped in today’s worlds. From cloning emails, text messages and even mail. All of these could easily be confused with actual communication attempts. Lastly inadequate follow up procedures to any and all attempts to attack the company. As the IT supervisor, it is my duty to have a plan of action for every action.
Our Procedures
We use the top-of-the-line security system and protocols. Top level encryption, anti-phishing, and anti-tracking are all included with our online security. But online is just a percentage of what risks are at stake. Mail theft is a federal crime, which the company does not have an efficient way to protect its mail. Even paying for expedited shipping and handling charges it is still possible to be stolen. Plus, mail is lost every day. Human error, negligence or just inability to understand or navigate the complex security system. Constantly updating procedures and policies will help protect the employees, customers, and suppliers. Continuous training with incentives for the employees will keep morale’s high and support every one’s highest interests. Publications sent to our customers and suppliers about our policies keeps their minds at ease that their information is protected by numerous layers of security.
Our Future Strategies
Times are changing rapidly in today’s world. What might be a ground-breaking discovery one day, and then old news the following days. Rapidly changing and evolving technologies have to keep companies like ours on our toes or else we will be quickly outdated and behind. We need to obtain a cyber mastermind to be able to keep the company a few steps ahead of the competition. The newly acquired employee will be able to “watch into the future” and predict upcoming attacks or trends. Constant employee training, even down the chain to where our products are sold will make the company stronger. We must start at the bottom of the chain where there are various weaknesses, some we not even be aware of. Enhanced building security for each location will help protect the most at the basic level. With our top-level cyber security system, data encryption and firewalls we are still vulnerable. People are in fact the weakest link, which is why we pay competitive wages, benefits, incentives, and numerous non-disclosure forms. If we can keep our employees satisfied and happy, they will be less likely to purposefully or accidentally make mistakes that could jeopardize the company.