Page 7 - PA_Enterprise_September-2023
P. 7
PAE
encrypted or inaccessible if your system You can protect your Wi-Fi network from
suffers a ransomware attack. breaches by hackers by changing the name
of your wireless access point or router, also
6: Encrypt key information known as the Service Set Identifier (SSID).
If your business deals with data relating You can use a complex Pre-shared Key (PSK)
to credit cards, bank accounts, and other passphrase for additional security.
sensitive information on a regular basis,
it’s good practice to have an encryption 9: Ensure a strong password policy
program in place. Encryption keeps data safe Ensure that all employees use a strong
by altering information on the device into password on all devices that contain sensitive
unreadable codes. information. A strong password is at least
15 characters in length – ideally more – and
Encryption is designed with a worst-case contains a mix of upper- and lower-case
scenario in mind: even if your data is stolen, letters, numbers, and symbols. The more
it would be useless to the hacker as they difficult it is to crack a password, the less likely
wouldn’t have the keys to decrypt the data and a brute force attack will be successful.
decipher the information. That’s a sensible
security precaution in a world where billions of You should also put in place a policy to
records are exposed every year. change passwords at regular intervals (at
least quarterly). As an additional measure,
7: Limit access to sensitive data small businesses should enable multi-factor
Within your business, restrict the number authentication (MFA) on employees’ devices
of people with access to critical data to a and apps.
minimum. This will minimize the impact of a
data breach and reduce the possibility of bad 10: Use password managers
faith actors from within the company gaining Using strong passwords which are unique
authorized access to data. Set out a plan to every device or account quickly becomes
which outlines which individuals have access difficult to remember. The need to remember
to certain levels of information, so that roles and type out lengthy passwords each time can
and accountability are clear to all involved. also slow your employees down. That’s why
many businesses use password management
8: Secure your Wi-Fi network tools.
If your business is using the WEP (Wired
Equivalent Privacy) network, make sure A password manager stores your passwords
for you, automatically generating the correct
you switch to WPA2 or more later, as these username, password and even security
versions are more secure. It’s likely that you’re question answers that you need to log into
already using WPA2 but some businesses websites or apps. This means users only have
neglect to upgrade their infrastructure – so it’s to remember a single PIN or master password
worth checking to be sure. You can read more to access their vault of login information. Many
about WEP versus WPA in our guide.
password managers also guide users away
September 2023 7
