2016 was the year of the most high-profile data breaches in history, and your IT support in Houston has, more than likely, been keeping up on all of them. One of the newest and largest breaches was the leaking of more than 80 million user names and passwords from the incredibly popular video sharing site DailyMotion. Though the service is still unsure how their system was breached and has updated all security measures, there are lessons to be learned from this type of attack. Whether your company uses DailyMotion for your marketing efforts or not, you can still learn from their mistakes to make your information more secure.
Use Unique Passwords for Accounts
Your IT support in Houston has probably already told you how important it is to use unique passwords. The newest breach also shows us that it’s also important to use different unique passwords for different sites. If your information was compromised in the breach of one site, it can be breached on other sites if you are using the same password. Though it may seem like a huge pain to create unique passwords for every single site you visit, it’s incredibly important to do so. There are programs available that let you store passwords safely and securely, and your IT team can help you incorporate these or other methods to make password creation and storage more efficient.
Have a Policy in Place for Personal Employee Use
Even if you didn’t use DailyMotion as a company for marketing efforts, you still could’ve experienced a breach if your employees were using it for personal use on company devices. It’s ideal to talk to your employees about your policy for personal use of devices, whether you experienced any disruption from this breach or not. Your policy will differ, depending on whether employees are able to use personal devices for company work or not. The important thing is to make sure employees are aware of the dangers and that you have a consistent company policy in place for them to follow.
Have Your System Continuously Monitored
It’s impossible to protect against every possible breach and malicious attack. With the ever-changing world of technology and the sophistication of hackers, new versions of hacking will continue to emerge. If you have your system continuously monitored, your IT team can flag possible threats before they become major problems. This allows you to take a proactive approach to cybersecurity instead of a reactive one. If you aren’t currently having your system monitored on a continuous basis, talk to your IT team about doing so.
The DailyMotion attack can teach us many lessons, and your IT support in Houston can help you use those lessons to strengthen your company’s network. Having a continuously-monitored system, a policy for company use, and a method for developing unique passwords will help you stay secure into the future. HoustonTech can help you secure your business with breaches and more. If you have questions about your company’s IT system or would like more information on our company, don’t hesitate to contact us today.