Top Tips For Protecting BioTech Companies From Cybercrime
Essential tips in this article:
- Cybercrime activity is on the rise
- BioTech, life sciences, and medical device businesses are popular targets
- Make sure to update your systems, audit your vulnerabilities, and train your staff in cybersecurity best practices
Cybercriminals Are Targeting BioTech Companies
Did you know that cybercriminal activity is rising in the biotech industry? Discover how to keep your business safe in our latest video.
Cybersecurity Best Practices For Biotech Companies
Keep Your Tech Patched And Up To Date
One of the most common ways cybercriminals get into a network is through popular software, applications, and program loopholes.
Despite how advanced modern software is, it is still designed by humans, and the fact is that humans make mistakes. Due to this, much of the software you rely on to get work done daily could have flaws—or “exploits”—that leave you vulnerable to security breaches.
Many of the most common malware and viruses used by cybercriminals today are based on exploiting those programming flaws; to address this, developers regularly release software patches and updates to fix and protect the users.
This is why you must keep your applications and systems up to date.
Unfortunately, most users find updates tedious and time-consuming and often opt just click “Remind Me Later” instead of sitting through an often-inconvenient update process.
Comprehensive and regular patch management is a crucial part of proper IT security. Some of the worst data breaches are based on “zero-day exploits”, which are based on exploits found by hackers but not by the developers, leading to severe security risks and an immediate need for patching.
Cybersecurity Assessments
No matter how much you’ve invested in your cybersecurity, you can’t just assume it’s effective enough to protect you against cybercriminals. A key best practice for cybersecurity is to regularly test your measures to ensure they hold up in an attack and to identify any unseen vulnerabilities that are putting you at risk.
The best way to do so is to have an expert IT company assess your cybersecurity. As a part of our cybersecurity services, we will take an unbiased look at your systems to determine where they may be vulnerable to external threats.
The key objective of this assessment is to find any vulnerabilities that can compromise the overall security, privacy, and operations of the network.
Train Your Staff
Your staff can significantly affect your cybersecurity—either they know enough to keep your assets secure, or they don’t, and therefore present a serious threat to your security.
So, which is it? Do your employees and volunteers have the knowledge they need to spot cybercrime scams, avoid common pitfalls and keep your data secure?
If you’re not sure, then they may need training. Security awareness training helps your employees and volunteers know how to recognize and avoid being victimized by phishing emails and scam websites.
They learn how to handle security incidents when they occur. If your employees and volunteers know what to watch for, how to block attempts, and where they can turn for help, this alone is worth the investment.
A comprehensive cybersecurity training program will teach your staff how to handle a range of potential situations:
- Identify and address suspicious emails, phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and more.
- Using business technology without exposing data and other assets to external threats by accident.
- How to respond when you suspect that an attack is occurring or has occurred.
Partner With An Expert IT Company
What can you do when you’re unsure if you have the skills or knowledge to get the job done? Consult with cybersecurity professionals at an IT company.
The cybersecurity professional’s job is to manage your cybersecurity. Instead of needing an employee or internal team to keep your tech and data secure, you let someone else with the skills and knowledge do it for you:
- Cybersecurity professionals perform regular vulnerability testing as per industry standards to ensure you aren’t dealing with overlooked cybersecurity weaknesses.
- Cybersecurity professionals help you plan and achieve a secure environment to work in.
- Cybersecurity professionals provide ongoing service and support for any security-related concerns you may have.
You Can’t Afford To Cut Corners On Your Cybersecurity
If you’ve followed these tips and still feel unsure about your cybersecurity, then you need to do something about it. Invest in a little expert protection—BACS Consulting.
We can put our cybersecurity expertise to work for you, implementing best practices, identifying vulnerabilities, and protecting you against the more common and dangerous cybercrime scams.