You wouldn't leave your shop at night without locking it, so make sure you don't leave your online shop open either!
Cyber crime has risen by 30% in the UK in the past year, with businesses losing £6.2million to scams during that time. You can't afford to simply do nothing, so here are some steps to take to help you keep your business safe online.
1) Never store passwords in your browser
It's hard to remember your passwords, yes passwords, because we all know you shouldn't use the same one for more than one account! You can store your passwords in your website browser - Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge - but is that safe?
According to Tech Republic, the answer is no.
If you want to keep your passwords safe, you need to use a password locker/manager. That will greatly lower your risk of someone being able to access your passwords. Check out these suggestions from Tech Radar.
2) Set up 2 Factor Authentication
Two Factor Authentication is like adding an extra bolt to your front door and you absolutely need to be using it, especially for your social media accounts.
It might be annoying having to generate a code or type in numbers from a text message to get in, but it's better than getting hacked. Imagine you got hacked and were locked out of your social media accounts until you were able to get it unlocked? Every small business owner's worst nightmare.
If you've not already done it, set it up now. Check out Tech Review's suggestions for android authenticator apps or igeeks for iphone.
3) Joey doesn't share!
It's tempting to just share logins if more than one person looks after your digital marketing, but you really, really shouldn't. Take the time to set things up properly so everyone has their own login. It is much safer that way.
4) Stay up to date
Make sure you regularly update your website, apps, computer and phone. If you don't you leave yourself vulnerable to security threats and bugs.
This is especially true with WordPress. If you don't have a webmaster looking after your Wordpress site for you, make sure you update your plugins and keep WordPress and you theme on the latest version.
Many web agencies offer this as a service, such as Wibble's rescue package.
5) Review your data storage and handling policy
If you collect and store customer data, make sure you are following GDPR guidelines and doing everything you can to keep that data safe. The Information Commissioner's Office has lots of advice and guidance on their website.
Find out more
Follow Sencode Cyber Security on social media for some great tips to keep you safe online.
Disclaimer
These tips are shared to help you improve your cyber security. Ivyhill Digital do not guarantee that these steps will prevent an attack but they should reduce your online vulnerabilities. These tips are not exhaustive. At the time of writing, all links were working and deemed reputable.