Cybersecurity for businesses

Strengthen your weakest link

Employee error is the leading cause of data breaches. Employees may open a phishing email or click on a spoofed link - even after attending cybersecurity training. So what can you do to protect your company?

These tips will help make your team more Cyber Aware:

• Tell your staff not to open emails that seem strange or include an attachment they didn’t request. Remind them to not click on embedded links.
• Make sure the virus and malware software are up to date.
• Empower an executive to lead the effort by interacting directly with employees, offering them someone to go to with questions or concerns.
• Reinforce security measures often. Reminders could come in person, in emails and in training so the good practices take hold.

While educating your team, make sure your company’s leadership is also thinking Cyber Aware:

• Know what data you have, where it is, with whom it is shared and how it is secured.
• Align your cybersecurity program with existing business priorities. Create a clear road map.
• Build a response team that includes key internal stakeholders and have a clear plan for managing the first 24 hours after breach detection.

"Anytime, Anywhere"

Employees often work remotely - at home or on the road - made possible through the use of cloud-based applications, collaboration tools, and personal devices tied into a corporate network. This revolutionizes productivity, but it potentially exposes your systems to more risks.

Here are seven suggestions to help you safeguard your IT environment:

• Reduce spam - Take an aggressive approach to reducing spam.
• Enforce password rules - Encourage the use of strong passwords.
• Update regularly - Keep every internet connection, operating system, and application up to date with patches and enhancements.
• Use virtual private networks (VPN) - Make VPN connections mandatory between office locations and for mobile employees that connect from remote locations.
• Retire all unused services - When a product expires, decommission it. If you are not using all the available features of a product, turn them off to limit unauthorized access.
• Use security options - Take advantage of security features that come with an application. Vendors know their products best and typically devote significant resources to create a safe environment for customers.
• Practice the principle of least privilege - Grant employees access to the minimum amount of information and resources they need to do their job.

Learn more about good cybersecurity practices from our Cybersecurity Insights reports.

Busting Cybersecurity Myths

Like the internet itself, the cybersecurity world is full of myths. To help you build a culture of cybersecurity, here are three common myths:

Hackers are the main cyberthreat

FALSE! An employee who opens a bad attachment or clicks on a fake site is a greater threat than a hacker.

Only big businesses are at risk

FALSE! Depending on the data available, a hacker may prefer smaller companies who may invest less in protecting data.

You will know when you’ve been hacked

FALSE! In most cases, the breach may not be identified for weeks or even months.

AT&T Cybersecurity Services

At AT&T, security is a priority, so we have integrated security into everything we build. Explore the comprehensive products and services available to help your teams create a layered cybersecurity defense.

AT&T ThreatTraq

Each week, AT&T malware and network security gurus gather to give you the information that you need to know about the latest security news and trends. Learn more.