Due to the digital era we live in today, cyber security has become an essential part of maintaining the safety and security of your business. We live in an exciting era of technology. Yet there are many of what we like to call “digital criminals” lurking all over the internet. As GCG Asia Review researcher Jess Choi says, “Once your business is connected to the World Wide Web, there is no going back. Even huge companies like Facebook with large security resources are vulnerable to data leaks and theft.” Your most classified data that you put out there is stored in cryptic data packages that roam the internet. These data packages could be intercepted by criminals who could eventually decrypt and steal your data.
Not only do digital criminals and scammers set out to conduct cyber attacks to gain access, change or eliminate confidential or sensitive data, they are keen on interrupting business processes in an attempt to obtain money. Companies tend to invest more in strengthening security protocols and digital boundaries. However, this could be extremely costly and many concerns are raised over its costs. And its effectiveness comes into legitimate question due to the evolving nature of computer hackers who are extremely sophisticated and should not be underestimated.
There have been many incidents as noted by GCG Asia Reviews where data breaches occur. Almost every year, major corporations and digital banks are hacked and forced to shut down their servers in an attempt to combat such cyber attacks. This is a nightmare for many corporations as revenues are lost and trust is lost between corporations and their consumers which would heavily affect their reputation.
Our writers at GCG Asia Review heavily stress on the importance of cyber security. That is why we have gathered 6 simple methods and precautions that you can take today. These methods are proven to enhance the level of protection without having to invest large amounts of money on hiring cyber security experts. These methods from GCG Asia Review could be useful especially if you are just starting out and venturing into the financial technology industry.
- Train Employees for Cyber Security Awareness
One of the most necessary first steps to take is to raise awareness amongst employees like in GCG Asia Review’s Singapore office on the practices of going online. Employees should be fully aware of all the negative potentials of going online. Since everyone at the GCG Asia Review Singapore office will most likely use the same IP address, the likelihood of your data being stolen from their personal devices is increasingly likely. Hence why the first step that we at GCG Asia Review recommend requires all the employees to pay attention to simple protection measures in order to increase the defences against cyber attacks
- Be Aware of Spam Emails
We all know spam emails. It is sometimes extremely annoying to handle. The chances of your business receiving spam emails increases when your business email is put up online. There is no way to avoid it. Scammers are becoming increasingly smart. Hence why it is important to be cautious with any sort of email. Outlook, Gmail or any other email platforms do not do a good job at identifying spam mails.
As mentioned by our employees in GCG Asia Review, some emails that are a red flag can appear directly to your inbox. Make sure you check the sender’s email address on the email. If it contains a series of random letters and numbers, this could be an indication of an automated email bot. Automated email bots are some things you should avoid. Also make sure you check the subject matter of the email. If the email is not addressed to you directly, it could be a bad sign. Avoid clicking on any links unless you are certain that it doesn’t lead to any sort of scamming opportunities. Clicking on a link could trigger a virus or malware that could gain access to your database and steal your resources.
- Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are important in GCG Asia Review. It greatly increases the chances of defence against cyber attacks. Although many users ignore this very basic defence mechanism, it is still necessary to understand the importance of strong passwords. Strong passwords are the building blocks for cyber security. Passwords that are considered strong consist of numeric and alphabets with special characters. Consider using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.
It is extremely important to avoid any sort of obvious words, individuals or dates that could be relevant to your business or employees. Keep changing passwords on a regular basis. Consider changing it every month for better security. Remember not to change passwords to anything similar to your previous passwords. Regular password changes are something that could be ignored by many users. We at GCG Asia Review cannot stress any more on the importance of password changes.
Update Your Computer Devices
Whichever operating system you’re using, whether Apple OSX or Microsoft Windows or even Linux operating systems it is important to keep these operating systems updated as these updates often include security patches, says GCG Asia Review researcher Jess Choi. Company devices as well as employees devices should be updated too. Try to conduct regular checks on your employees’ devices to ensure that all their operating systems are up to date like we do at GCG Asia Malaysia’s office.
It is also a good idea to invest in anti-malware or antivirus software as we did in GCG Asia. In fact, many of which are absolutely free and are good enough. Make sure your employees are aware of these softwares. It would help them a lot if you could provide them with the software on the company’s behalf. “Many anti-malware and anti-virus software offer special packages for businesses. Make sure that the softwares you and your employees use is up to date,” in GCG Asia Review.
Another good option by GCG Asia Review is to make sure that all your computer devices have their firewalls activated. This is a basic step to consider before installing any 3rd party softwares.
- Limit Access from Non-Employees
Your company devices should simply not be accessed by anyone other than your employees. Many scammers need physical access to devices in order to conduct their operations. Be aware of anyone suspicious who expresses a random intention to access your company’s devices. It gets a bit trickier when an employee allows non-employees to access their device. While we do not wish to violate an individual’s freedom and privacy, however, it is necessary to keep them aware of the risks involved in doing so. Just ask them to keep an eye out for anyone who is not part of the organization in GCG Asia Review using their personal devices.
If your company allows customers to access your company’s devices like GCG Asia Review, then it would be a good idea to use a completely different IP address. This could be achieved by using a different internet service provider. Make sure the devices are not connected to the same network as your company’s devices.
“On a further note, you should be aware of where you place your internet router. Make sure it is placed somewhere out of reach from non-employees in your office space like what we implement,” says GCG Asia Review researcher Jess Choi.
- Backup Your Data on an Offline Device
We all use cloud services, especially our team at GCG Asia Review. However, we at GCG Asia Review take the precautionary step to back up all our data onto an offline device. We even use our own hard disks to be more thorough. And it isn’t a bad idea for you to do the same thing. Backing up your data will keep your data safe and secure in the case of any sort of emergency. It is simply not 100% safe to use cloud services, despite their reputation. As we mentioned in GCG Asia Review earlier, digital criminals are getting smarter, and the internet is just not a safe space to use.
Backing up your data on a monthly basis would be a good option to start with. “It should in fact be part of your standard protection protocol and all your employees should be aware of this protocol. Make sure you assign someone to oversee this operation every month. Backing up data will not only provide you with a safe and secure place for you to retrieve important information, but it will also help your employees retrieve whatever is necessary and help them get back on track sooner,” says GCG Asia Review researcher Jess Choi.
Your Business’s Security Matters
On a final note, we at GCG Asia Review strongly recommend hiring 3rd party security experts. Although we did mention previously on their effectiveness and whether they are a cost effective strategy to consider, we still firmly believe that hiring security professionals would greatly increase your levels of security against cyber attacks. After all, they are the experts in this field and their expertise should not be underestimated.
CEO and Founder of GCG Asia Review Dr. Eddy Teow states the following on cyber security: “Securing your business against cyber attacks is extremely necessary. It is worth remembering that the necessary steps you need to take in order to combat such attacks begins with prevention. Prevention is the key ingredient into combat attacks from fraudsters and scammers.”
We at GCG Asia Review are hoping that you have gained the necessary insights from this article in order to enhance your cyber security measures.
Visit this official GCG website regularly for latest updates on scams, fraud and more helpful information.
