The importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital age cannot be overstated. With cyber attacks and security breaches becoming increasingly common, even in Northern Ireland, it is critical to take a proactive approach to security to protect your business and any sensitive information you hold. In this blog, we’ll discuss some best practices for ensuring the security of your software and applications.
Security Tips for Your Business
First and foremost, it’s important to regularly review the security measures in place and ensure that your software is as secure as possible. Multi-factor authentication, brute force attack prevention, password strength and reset policies are all important first level preventions. 81% of all hacking-related breaches leverage stolen or weak passwords (Cisco 2023). It’s also essential to keep your web application’s software and dependencies up to date, as this is critical for addressing security vulnerabilities that may be present in older versions.
WebAuthn – The New Security Standard
One new standard for web authentication that we recommend exploring is WebAuthn. WebAuthn allows users to authenticate themselves to web applications using public-key cryptography, which is more secure and convenient than traditional password-based authentication methods. If you’re interested in exploring this option for your software, our team is on hand to answer any questions and help get you started.
Access controls are also important to review. Does everyone on your user list need access? Do they have the correct permissions? Implementing the ‘Principle of Least Privilege’ can help to limit the damage that a security breach could cause.
Enforcing encryption can help protect sensitive data by ensuring that it’s unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the appropriate decryption key. Regular security assessments, such as penetration testing and vulnerability scanning, can help identify vulnerabilities and other security issues before they can be exploited.
GCD’s Support & Security
Here at GCD, our basic support package includes some automated monitoring for suspicious activity to help you quickly identify and respond to security incidents. This can be extended by using additional logs of all web application activity and using tools such as intrusion detection systems and security information and event management systems to monitor for suspicious activity. If you’d like to explore upgrading your software support package, get in touch with our team.
Even with the best security measures in place, security incidents can still occur. That’s why it’s important to have an incident response plan in place to help you quickly respond to and mitigate the impact of security incidents. Additionally, complying with regulations such as GDPR and only keeping the data that you need can help to reduce the potential impact of security breaches.
Have a Chat with our Team
In conclusion, cybersecurity is a critical consideration for any business. By taking a proactive approach to security and implementing best practices such as those discussed in this blog, you can help to ensure the security of your business and any sensitive information. If you have any questions or concerns about the security of your software or applications, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at GCD.
