Cybersecurity Best Practices: Protecting Business from Breaches

Every person who works for a company, whether they use computers or are in charge of keeping things safe, plays a part in protecting the company from cyber-attacks. What they do or don’t do can make a big difference in whether the company stays safe or gets attacked. If the company gets attacked, it can hurt its reputation and cost it a lot of money. So, everyone must do their part to keep the company secure by following cybersecurity best practices.

Cybersecurity breaches are a rapidly growing crime that affects businesses across all industries. Staying informed about the latest cybersecurity practices and cyber security best practices for business is important to avoid your company’s name appearing in the news due to a security breach.

Cyber threats are a real problem in today’s digital world, and it’s crucial to have robust cybersecurity solutions to protect yourself. Cyber security services assessment helps businesses evaluate their online security, find weaknesses and risks, and create a comprehensive plan to stay secure. It also helps prevent cyber attacks and secure information.

Moreover, organizations must follow cyber security best practices for business to protect their data and customer information from online threats. Educating employees about cybersecurity best practices is important, as it helps them recognize and prevent cybersecurity breaches. Managed security services experts assist businesses in avoiding vulnerable cyber-attacks.

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What Are The Reasons Why Data Breaches Occur?

A data breach occurs when protected or confidential data is accessed, exposed, lost, or stolen without authorization. Data breaches can occur through various means, but the primary causes typically include:

1) Criminal Hacking

This is the most common cause of data breaches. Cybercriminals use malicious software, such as malware or ransomware, to gain unauthorized access to a company’s computer systems. After gaining unauthorized access, attackers can steal sensitive data, including customer Personally Identifiable Information (PII), financial details, or valuable trade secrets. Following cybersecurity best practices is critical for protecting against such threats and safeguarding your systems.

2) Human Error

Human error is another common cause of cybersecurity breaches. This can include employees clicking on malicious links in phishing emails, misconfiguring network security settings, or losing laptops or USB drives containing sensitive data. Educating employees on cybersecurity practices is essential for minimizing the risks associated with human error.

3) System Glitches

System glitches can also lead to cybersecurity breaches. These occur when software or hardware vulnerabilities or errors in data processing procedures expose sensitive information. Adopting cyber security best practices for business ensures that systems are regularly updated and monitored to prevent such vulnerabilities.

4) Physical Theft

Data breaches can sometimes occur due to the physical theft of data-carrying devices, such as laptops, hard drives, or USB drives. Implementing strict cybersecurity practices for device security can help reduce such risks.

The average data breach cost rose to USD 4.88 million in 2024, the highest on record. The global cost of cybercrime is projected to reach USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025, growing at 15% annually.

Here are some guidelines to secure your data against breaches:

Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
Be careful about what information you share online.
Stay cautious of phishing emails and other fraudulent scams.
Keep your software up to date.
Back up your data regularly.

By implementing these cybersecurity best practices, you can enhance your cyber security best practices for business, adopt robust cybersecurity practices, and lower the chances of cybersecurity breaches.

Useful link: Security Breaches Rising Exponentially; Weak Authentications Exploited

Where Does Your Data End Up, and Who Has Access to It?

To effectively protect something, you must first be aware of its existence. That’s why it’s essential to understand your data and its level of sensitivity clearly. Following cybersecurity best practices is key to gaining this understanding and implementing effective measures.

It would be best to have a clear picture of how your data is being utilized, who has access to it, and where it is being shared. Take the time to gather data from all sources, including different devices and online services, and organize it based on its sensitivity and who can access it. This approach is crucial to cyber security best practices for business and helps prevent cybersecurity breaches.

Once you have this information, you can develop and implement cybersecurity practices, programs, and rules to safeguard your data. Doing so enhances your ability to protect sensitive information and reduce the risk of cybersecurity breaches.

9 Recommended Cybersecurity Best Practices to Prevent Breaches in 2025

1) Recognize Sensitive Data and Categorize It

To protect your data effectively, it’s crucial to understand the types of information you possess clearly. Begin by allowing your security team to scan your data storage areas and generate reports on their findings. Then, they can organize the data into different groups based on its value to your organization.

Keep the categorization updated as data changes or is shared. Establishing rules that prevent users from falsely altering the data’s classification is also essential. Only authorized users should be able to upgrade or downgrade the data classification. These steps are integral to implementing cybersecurity best practices.

2) Establish a Data Usage Policy

Simply classifying data is not enough; creating a policy that outlines how data should be accessed, who can access it based on its classification, and guidelines for proper data usage is essential. Control user access to specific areas and deactivate access when it’s no longer needed.

Remember to enforce strict consequences for policy violations to strengthen your cyber security best practices for business.

3) Control and Monitor Access to Sensitive Data

It’s important to provide appropriate access privileges to authorized users. Follow the cybersecurity practices of least privilege, which means granting users only the necessary permissions required to perform their tasks. This ensures that the right people can access the data for cybersecurity trends.

Here are a few essential permission levels to consider:

A) Full Control: Users have complete data ownership, allowing them to store, access, modify, delete, and manage permissions.

B) Modify: Users can access, modify, and delete data.

C) Access: Users can access the data without changing or deleting it.

D) Access and Modify: Users can access and modify the data but cannot delete it.

Controlling and monitoring access this way can reduce the cyber supply chain risk management of unauthorized individuals accessing sensitive data.

4) Protect Data Physically

Remember the physical security of your data. Lock your workstations when they’re not in use to prevent unauthorized access or device theft. This helps keep your hard drives and other storage components secure for cybersecurity business.

Another important practice is setting up a password in your computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) to prevent hackers from accessing your operating system. Pay attention to the security of devices like USB flash drives, Bluetooth devices, smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Useful link: 8 SaaS Security Best Practices to Secure Applications

5) Use Endpoint Security Systems to Secure Your Data

The endpoints in your network, such as servers and workstations, are constantly targeted by threats. Establishing a strong endpoint security infrastructure is important to minimize the cyber supply chain risk management of cybersecurity breaches.

A) Install Antivirus Software: Install antivirus software on all your servers and workstations. Regularly scan your systems to detect and remove malware, such as ransomware.

B) Use Antispyware: Spyware is malicious software that collects personal information without your knowledge. Install antispyware tools to block and remove these threats.

C) Employ Pop-Up Blockers: Pop-ups can be annoying and potentially harmful. Use pop-up blockers to prevent unwanted programs from running on your system.

D) Set Up Firewalls: Firewalls act as a protective barrier between your data and cybercriminals. Install a firewall on your network, and consider using internal firewalls for added security.

Implementing these measures can enhance your endpoints’ security and better protect your valuable data.

6) Document Your Cybersecurity Policies

Relying on verbal communication or assumptions regarding cyber security services is insufficient. Take the time to document your cybersecurity practices, policies, and protocols in detail. This documentation will help facilitate online training, provide checklists, and ensure the transfer of specific knowledge to your employees and stakeholders.

7) Adopt a Risk-Based Approach to Security

Consider the risks your company may encounter and how they can impact employee and customer data. Conduct thorough risk assessments to:

Determine the location and nature of your assets.
Assess the current state of your cybersecurity risk.
Develop an effective security strategy.

Adopting a cyber supply chain risk management ensures cybersecurity compliance with regulations and protects your organization against potential data leaks and cybersecurity breaches.

8) Educate Your Employees

Educate all employees about your organization’s cybersecurity tips and cybersecurity policies. Conduct regular training sessions to inform them about new protocols and industry changes. Use real-life examples of cybersecurity breaches to illustrate the importance of cybersecurity best practices for business. Encourage employees to provide feedback on your current security system.

9) Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) offers enhanced data security by adding an extra layer of protection during account login. Even if someone knows your password, they still need to provide additional verification, like a security token, fingerprint scan, voice recognition, or mobile phone confirmation. This significantly increases hackers’ difficulty in gaining unauthorized access to your accounts.

By following these cybersecurity best practices, you can build a robust defense against cybersecurity breaches and ensure your organization is well-prepared for evolving threats.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity best practices go beyond the steps mentioned earlier. They include regularly backing up your data, encrypting it when it’s being transmitted and at rest, and promoting safe password practices.

However, it’s essential to realize that Cyber security best practices for business is not about eliminating all threats, which is impossible. Ignoring it is also not a wise choice. By adopting the proper security measures, you can significantly reduce the risks involved and protect your data to a great extent.

Implementing cybersecurity best practices is vital for protecting your business from cybersecurity breaches. Key to enhancing security are educating employees, establishing strong policies, monitoring access, implementing endpoint security, and conducting risk assessments.

Veritis, the Stevie Award winner, provides tailored solutions, including risk assessments, security training, data protection, and incident response planning to mitigate risks and protect your business. Prioritizing cybersecurity practices and partnering with trusted experts like Veritis ensures data protection and upholds customer trust.

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Cybersecurity Best Practices: Protecting Your Business from Data Breaches