help your employees avoid the threats computer tip of the day

Did you know that employees can be the major causes of data breaches in the workplace, especially in small businesses and mid-size businesses? Employees can account for up to 50 percent of all data breach incidents.

When data breaches do take place due to employees, it is usually a result of an innocent mistake. Unfortunately, many employees do not have the full awareness of workplace data security. Many employees are always unaware of how many hackers operate and the type of information they tend to go after first.

One of the most important things you can offer in your workplace is employee education. If you want to lower the threat of breaches and theft, we encourage you to offer training and classes that will help your employees understand all the threats and risks that are lurking around on a daily basis.

One of the biggest threats to many small or mid-size businesses like yours is when a hacker pretends to be someone you can trust in need of sensitive and confidential information. This is known as social engineering. Phishing usually results in employees clicking on one or multiple links that will install a virus on their computer. There is also ransomware; this occurs when one of your employee’s computer is held hostage until a certain amount of money is paid.

In order to prevent your employees from being a part of one or more of these threats, we encourage you to remind them to do the following:

  • Make sure the source is a legitimate and trusted source before any sensitive information is given
  • Make sure they avoid clicking on any link or ad that looks suspicious
  • Avoid going to any website that looks as if it could be suspicious
  • Make sure they avoid opening files and other attachments from sources they are not familiar with

You can do your part in protecting your business when you make your employees of the little things they can do to avoid a major data breach. Contact us today for more tips and advice on avoiding data breaches and other security risks.

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