Cybersecurity standards to keep your organization safe

It’s no secret that small businesses and organizations are the main target of cyberattacks. According to a recent article from entrepreneur.com, the FBI has received more than 4 million complaints from small businesses regarding internet crime between 2000 and 2017. Unfortunately, smaller organizations generally don’t have the budget for advanced levels of cybersecurity. However, if the proper standards are implemented, you don’t need to spend a fortune on cybersecurity for your organization.  A few standards and recommendations to best keep your business protected on a budget are as follows:

1. Implement email sender authentication standards for your organization and your business partners which include: Sender Policy Framework, DomainKeys Identified Mail and Domain-based Message Authentication, and Reporting and Conformance.
2. Take a layered approach to security. In addition to sender authentication standards, implement impersonation filtering to identify domains that are a character off from a trusted domain. It is also useful to implement an internal email filter that blocks external emails that make themselves appear as though they are from an internal user.
3. Be sure there is a protocol for authorizing wire transfers. Be sure your employees and partners confirm the legitimacy of any wire transfer or change of payment address requested via email. Never use the contact information from the email to confirm the request, instead confirm the legitimacy by calling a verified phone number.
4. Educate your employees and partners on the risks associated with careless email and online practices. Hold cybersecurity training courses regularly and reward your employees for good cybersecurity habits. If you don’t have an educated workforce, all other layers of security are rendered useless.
5. Partner with or consult an outside expert. If you’re not sure how to best implement any of the sender standards mentioned above or how to best educate your employees on the ever-increasing amount of cyber threats, consult a trusted provider to answer any of the questions or concerns you may have.

OptfinITy happens to be a trusted MSP with over 15 years of experience. If you are worried about how to best protect your business or organization from cyber threats or don’t understand the items above,  don’t hesitate to give us a call at 703-790-0400 or visit us on our website at www.optfinity.com.