You wake up to a frantic call in the middle of the night. Your website was hacked and there was a breach of all your customer’s credit card information. It’s every website manager’s worst nightmare.
If your website takes credit cards, you’ve got a serious cyber security risk. If you’re using outdated equipment, your risk is even greater.
Don’t let your customers down or even lose your business because you didn’t understand the security risks. Take steps now by learning these six signs of a cyber security risk.
1. Outdated Hardware Issues
It’s eco-conscious to reuse some of your hardware as long as you’re handling data erasure in a safe and smart manner. You can use Certus hardware to ensure you’re erasing data in the best manner possible.
If your hardware systems are too old, they come with security risks. These risks include lost data, lost productivity, greater liability, and unexpected downtime.
When old hardware crashes, it can corrupt your files or make them unrecoverable.
2. Lack of Support
Are you getting notices that your software updates aren’t supported by your hardware operating systems? That’s a red flag when you’re doing a cyber security risk assessment.
Old hardware systems don’t always have the operating requirements to support software upgrades.
3. Known Vulnerabilities in the Hardware
When you first buy your company hardware, the vulnerabilities aren’t always known. Be proactive in searching out known hardware vulnerabilities.
Check with your hardware manufacturer on a regular basis to ensure you’re up to date with any known vulnerabilities. If you discover some, get them patched or upgraded immediately.
4. Patches and Compliance Issues
Are you a healthcare provider or financial organization? You face strict compliance codes to ensure sensitive client information stays private. There are huge risks of not securing your online information in these business sectors.
Hardware companies routinely make patches available to protect against a known vulnerability. If the hardware doesn’t support a security patch, that’s a sign you’ve got a cyber security risk.
5. Uptick in System Crashes
Are you seeing an uptick in system or network crashes? That’s another red flag that you’re exposed to online threats.
System crashes are sometimes due to outdated hardware but other times they’re caused by hackers. If you’re seeing an increase in crashes, either way, you’ve got security risks.
6. Backdoor Exploits
It’s unfortunate, but there are a lot of exploitable hardware backdoors. This is malicious code inside your hardware that undermines its security.
The U.S. government is working on ways to verify the safety of computer chips off the production line. Until then, pay attention to known backdoors that hackers exploit to gain access to your network.
Be Alert for Cyber Security Risk
Cyber security risk is a huge problem in today’s computing environment. Don’t let outdated systems destroy your company! Do a regular security risk assessment and don’t put off upgrades.
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