Every day employees unintentionally put their workplaces at risk by opening emails from unknown senders, clicking on links that look legitimate - but aren’t, or printing out sensitive documents and forgetting them at the printer. While these actions may seem harmless, they could be putting your business at risk. Human error is one of the main causes of cyberattacks.
Here are the five top ways your employees may be putting your business at risk.
- Phishing Attacks and Link Scams - Phishing scams are designed to trick people into disclosing information. They might be prompted to download seemingly innocent software, click on a dangerous link, or receive an email asking for information that looks legitimate, but isn't. Train your team to recognize the signs of a phishing scam, including to never click a link from an unconfirmed address.
- Social Engineering - Bad actors can gather information from your company website or social media accounts and use it to stage an attack. They may use it to attempt to get employees to circumvent existing company security protocols. For example, they may get an employee’s email address from your website and use it to ask for access to sensitive or secure information.
- Unrestrained Web Browsing - The Internet is a necessity for most businesses today, but unrestricted browsing can be dangerous. Most browsers offer features to protect from dangerous ads or sites, however, risks remain. With web filtering, employees can be blocked from accessing known malicious websites.
- Weak Password Habits - Always use password best practices. Teach employees how to create a secure password. Make sure they never write them down and change them regularly. Use a password tool to securely store passwords if there’s a chance they’ll be forgotten.
- Improper Document Handling - Do you find sensitive documents left in the printer tray? Are your office filing cabinets regularly left unlocked? If so, your business at risk. Educate your team on proper document handling, and features like using pull printing, to lower your risks.
Here at DSI we help our clients address security challenges just like these. Talk to one of our security advisors and let us show you how we can keep your business, network, and data safe and secure.