Cybercrime is rampant in 2024. Businesses of all sizes across all sectors are being targeted by criminals using increasingly sophisticated strategies and technologies like AI to attack organizations. A cyber attack can cause significant damage to a business in many ways, including the loss of sensitive data, downtime, legal repercussions, having to replace IT equipment, and reputation damage. This is why every company must make sure that they have strong protection in place, but you will often find that businesses are making the same mistakes when it comes to cybersecurity. With this in mind, this post will take a look at the most common mistakes being made in 2024.
Delaying Software Updates
One of the most common mistakes businesses make – and most people will admit to being guilty – is delaying software updates. When a popup appears telling you about a software update, it is very easy to click “remind me tomorrow”. However, each time you do this, you are putting your sensitive information at risk. This is because these updates are likely to contain bug fixes and security patches that will protect against the latest threats. This is why it should be policy to complete software updates as soon as possible.
Poor Passwords Protection
Another mistake that most would admit to being guilty of is poor password protection. When you have a password that is easy to guess or work out, you make it easy for hackers. Therefore, passwords should be required to be random, complex, and changed frequently – you can use a password manager to manage these passwords. In addition to this, multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be used to add another layer of defense.
Not Using Managed Detection & Response
When attacks are so sophisticated and hard to detect these days, you must have strong protection in place in the form of managed detection and response (MDR). MDR is a service available from cybersecurity experts who can monitor your environment 24/7 and detect and stop threats before they cause damage. When your cybersecurity is handled by a team of specialists, you can rest assured knowing that you are in safe hands and can focus on other areas.
Failing To Train Employees
You could have strong protection in place, but if your employees do not know how to work safely and spot common scams, you will always be at risk. Most breaches occur due to human error, which is why every business should provide cybersecurity training for their employees. This is particularly important when you have remote workers, as more activities will be carried out online, which creates additional vulnerabilities.
These are the most common cybersecurity mistakes that businesses are making in 2024. When you are able to avoid these mistakes, you can create much stronger protection against the latest threats. Cybercrime is a major threat to businesses in all sectors in 2024 and this threat will only evolve in the years to come, which is why businesses must always stay ahead of the curve and know the best ways to protect themselves.