Though the journey to success may lead down a road less traveled, Keith Cunningham's timeless wisdom encourages us not to do more 'smart' things but fewer 'dumb mistakes'.
In today’s world of cyber security it seems that too many people unwittingly choose an easier, but much riskier, route in order avoid taking necessary precautions. Smart decisions require effort and due diligence now, or you could face serious consequences later.
Don't let the size of your business fool you, even small companies are prone to cyberattacks. Unfortunately, their lack of visibility means that these breaches often go unnoticed and unreported, leaving them feeling embarrassed about what's happened instead of being able to talk openly about it for security advice or preventative actions. The key takeaway? Cybersecurity should be a priority regardless.
Hackers may not be after your stuff unless you have financial or medical records that can fetch a pretty penny on the dark-web marketplace. But make no mistake, they still lay in wait to kidnap and ransom important digital assets. In essence, cyber criminals play family kidnappers; it's all about getting YOU to pay for something valuable back from them.
You can't turn back time when ransomware strikes, leaving businesses on the brink of ruin. Even for seemingly small operations like a home office solo operator, there's no option to start from scratch and recover with zero losses, that just isn't feasible. Unfortunately too many companies still think avoiding cyber security is an easier route than investing in it; but opting out could be a costly decision down the line as insurance policies don’t always cover all expense incurred after a breach.
Insurance companies have historically been in the business of profiting off premiums, not paying out on claims. That all changed with cyber-attacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent; suddenly 70% profits became 30%, forcing drastic changes to policies for cybersecurity coverage. It looks like this trend is only continuing. Zurich's CEO recently warned that soon these types of attacks may become completely uninsurable.
In today's world, a cyber liability policy isn't just handed out easily. A list of security practices such as multifactor authentication and password management, plus endpoint protection and regularly tested data backup solutions must be proven before the coverage can begin. Additionally, some insurers may want to see proof that your team is receiving phishing training or general cybersecurity awareness education. Depending on the carrier’s specifics for you and your organization's needs for coverage, this list could get longer.
Don't think that having a backup plan is enough to protect your data, hackers are experts at finding it and taking advantage of companies who don’t have cybersecurity measures in place. Ransomware can access sensitive information like payroll, communication records, client contracts, the consequences could be disastrous if leaked online.
Cybersecurity isn't foolproof but with adequate protections you won't become an easy target for malicious cybercriminals.
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