A version of this post was initially published on Forbes.
Technology adoption has skyrocketed with the increased demand in 2020 to work from home and to sell online. And as more companies and employees conduct business online, it’s now more important than ever to safeguard your business from digital attacks.
Digital attacks can target both customer data and company data- and companies who leave themselves vulnerable to attack can suffer severe financial damage and reputation loss. Digital attackers can target customer data, such as credit card information or addresses, that can be sold on the black market. Attackers can also target corporate data, such as intellectual property, or even aim to hack technological processes to entirely disrupt a business.
Main Methods of Security Attacks
The best way to prevent digital security attacks is to become aware of the possible ways that a company can be put at risk for a vulnerability. By taking security preventative measures and by training your employees on recognizing phishing attacks, you can significantly reduce your chances of a digital attack.
Technology vulnerabilities
With more employees working remote, it’s important that your infrastructure can handle the potential strain. Also remote employees need to be trained on proper practices to safely access sensitive data and backend systems through the use of a properly set up VPN.
Phishing
Probably one of the most familiar methods of security attacks is phishing. This can be done through email to trick employees into providing sensitive information or by clicking links that can potentially install malware and breach company security.
Rogue employees
Threats posed by insiders and rogue employees is the 3rd leading cause of security breaches to companies. Employees in a high position, such as executives and administrators, can use their position to release malware, leak confidential data and customer records, or cause reputational damage to a company.
Deployment errors
Unfortunately, an oversight in implementation and development of an eCommerce application can lead to vulnerabilities in security. Since eCommerce platforms rely heavily on a large connection of 3rd party applications, developers need to take every precaution to ensure that their connection is secure when working remotely.
How Can You Protect Your Business from Security Theft?
Thankfully there are ways to help protect your business from digital security breaches. The following are the top 4 ways to secure your business from digital attacks:
- Take control of your data: Large B2B companies typically look for a private cloud or on-premise environments to host their data, which limits multiple access points and reduces the chances of information being hacked.
- Choose the best software and hardware: Maintaining your software is key to preventing digital attacks. Make sure software is up-to-date and that the latest updates in monitoring tools are installed. Keep your PCI DSS eCommerce certification current and adhere to SOC 2 compliance.
- Limit access permissions and connections: Remote employees should be thoroughly trained on best security practices and should only have access to what is necessary for them to do their job.
- Educate your employees: B2B eCommerce security training is not just for your IT team! Every employee should be thoroughly trained to recognize security threats and should know how to report them to help avoid attack.
As more companies adopt remote policies and shift their business models largely to eCommerce, staying informed and having technology capable of preventing digital security attacks is now more important than ever before. Make sure your business is dedicating the time and resources to providing a secure B2B eCommerce environment.
