Halloween season isn’t the only spooky thing out there!
Cyber threats are rampant and are ever-growing in today’s ultra-digital landscape. As reported by Forbes:
- Nearly 4 in 5 employees lack confidence in their company’s cybersecurity standing
- Identity theft has doubled amid the COVID-19 pandemic
- Cybercrime is anticipated to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025
Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which takes place every October, points out frightening trends and insights on significant threats to cybersecurity, including ransomware. As the trucking and transportation sector becomes more acclimated with technology, the industry is witnessing increased phishing and fraud instances.
Fortunately, scary realities in our industry have not-so-scary solutions.
#1: Build a proactive cybersecurity culture
The evergreen theme for this year’s initiative is Do Your Part, #BeCyberSmart.
The employees that work with your business all play a role in protecting your fleet. Fleet leaders and security professionals should define each employee’s functions and the proactive actions they must take to prevent cybersecurity.
You can implement an action plan for cyber-attacks or cyber risks and identify:
- A risk leader
- Your critical business processes and assets
- Risk assessment procedures
- An incident response plan
#2: Promote containment by enforcing a Zero Trust model
Zero Trust is a security concept coined by the cybersecurity industry, which believes that businesses must not automatically place trust in anything inside or outside security parameters. This model promotes consistent verification before anything is granted access.
Many fleet leaders may think this model sounds extreme, but cybersecurity professionals are well aware of the dangers seemingly harmless behaviors pose. This strategy strengthens the shield around your business and prevents easy infiltration.
#3: Remember ransomware
Ransomware, a malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid, remains one of the most critical threats to cybersecurity in today’s world.
Adversaries continue to find the most creative avenues for deploying ransomware, holding companies hostage for their critical customer and business data. If a company finds itself in a ransomware situation, adversaries will threaten to publish the sensitive data if the money isn’t given in a certain amount of time. You can identify gaps in ransomware security with help from dedicated cybersecurity professionals (or a third-party security vendor) and critical assessments.
#4: Develop practical action items
The employees are your company’s greatest asset when it comes to ensuring a cybersecure infrastructure.
When you provide employees with real and practical action items and insights on cybersecurity, they’re able to develop the muscle memory needed to act more confidently in the moment. Risks are rampant in our everyday lives, and we often invite risk in without thinking. So, preventative measures should involve continuous training, discussions, and strategies that focus on second-nature action items employees should take with their everyday business functions.
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Learn more about how you can remain aware and secure in today’s cyberspace in our article from last year’s initiative.