Here are 12 Ways to Contain a Hack for Yourself and Your Business

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Do you have a business? If “yes,” you have to read this. Do you have personal information? “Yes,” you do. In both scenarios, you will find that hackers have you on their radar, and here are 12 ways that you can mitigate the damage caused by a hack.

Ways to Contain a Hack for Yourself and Your Business

  1. Work with a Professional – It is very possible for a small business to be hacked because staff often did not use professional techs in the first place. So, companies offering breach mitigation and security should be contacted ASAP. These IT professionals, also known as chief information security officers or if virtual are virtual chief information security officers, are experts in containment, and they can forensically determine the nature of a hack, remove any vulnerabilities, update hardware and software, and ensure that breaches like this won’t happen again.
  2. Temporarily Disconnect Every Device from the Internet – You want to remove all devices from the network temporarily to stop data from leaving the network and prevent hackers from communicating with the server. This could mean totally disconnecting internet connections and routers.
  3. Reset and Change All Passwords – You also want to make sure that you and all staff are changing and resetting passwords. The moment the network or device goes back online, the hacker will try the same passwords again, and they can get right in.
  4. Update Your Software – Start by scanning all of your software and hardware with an anti-virus program and remove anything malicious. Many vulnerabilities are caused by outdated anti-virus software. Updating this software with patches eliminates the threats.
  5. Get New Hardware – You should also consider getting new hardware, too. Old hardware can often not keep up with the requirements of new software.
  6. Back Up Your Data – You also have to make sure that you are backing up your data on a consistent basis.
  7. Manage Any and All Identities – You also should make sure that you are managing all identities and access to your accounts. Do this across the board. It could make your network very vulnerable.
  8. Start Using Conditional Access – On top of this, you should make sure you are using conditional access that is based on things like device and location.
  9. Use Multi-Factor Authentication – You should also use multi-factor authentication to keep your accounts safe, too.
  10. Invest in Security Awareness Training – Make sure your employees know what to do…and what not to do…in regard to network security. Providing good security awareness helps make your entire company safe.
  11. Patching – Create a system so you can always make sure that both your hardware and software is patched and updated regularly. This also makes sure that your data is safe.
  12. Align Your IT Security with Other Security – Finally, if you are in the IT industry, you might feel like you are constantly struggling to keep up with everchanging technology, including security technology. The success of your business is based on keeping it safe and secure, and by keeping security in mind, it can have a direct and positive impact on your revenue.

Written by Robert Siciliano, CEO of Credit Parent, Head of Training & Security Awareness Expert at Protect Now, #1 Best Selling Amazon author, Media Personality & Architect of CSI Protection Certification.