RE: DT Great Marketing material - WHSMITH2 Mar 2023 15:25
The cyber attack at WH Smith shows that no company is immune to such data breaches, warns Ceri Shaw, chief delivery officer at digital skills academy CodeClan.
Shaw says all businesses must take the threat of data breaches seriously, and implement measures that protect their employees’ and customers’ information from the ‘ever-present threat’ of cyber-attacks are an ever-present threat.
There are several practical steps that companies can take to minimise the risk of a data breach, Shaw explains:
Firstly, any data stored on computers and storage devices, as well as data in transit over networks, should be safeguarded. The best way of doing this is to encrypt any sensitive data – such as customer information and financial data – to help protect your organisation against any hackers and unauthorised access.
If your organisation uses any software and security systems, they should be frequently updated to make certain that any vulnerabilities are being patched. Across the organisation, strong and unique passwords should be used to minimise any risk. A password manager is a highly useful tool that will help produce and memorise strong passwords.
Finally, training should be in place for all employees on how to distinguish and prevent cyber threats, along with a plan in place on how to restore systems and contain the breach if one was to occur.
Responding with speed to a cyber-attack will help minimise any risks and disruption, while helping restore levels of consumer confidence