Advancements in networking comes with tremendous benefit, but it also leads to more sophisticated cyber security threats. Online threats seem to advance more rapidly by the day, which means you need to have dynamic security solutions in place to protect yourself. In this post I’ll go over some of the cyber security tools that should be a part of every business’s arsenal.

Must-Have Cyber Security Tools

Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems
Intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) help protect against several types of security threats. They work by detecting threats such as: viruses, malware, spyware, worms, and other such types of threats. IDS tools are passive activity monitors, while IPS tools detect and prevent against cyber attacks.

Anti-Malware Tools
Anti-malware tools do exactly what they say; they help your system monitor, prevent, and remove malware. They can also identify known and unknown sources of malware and block them from ever becoming a threat to you again. Malware never stops looking for network and security vulnerabilities, which means you have to be especially ruthless against them. It’s best when you combine an anti-malware tool with anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

Mobile Device Protection
Some of your most sensitive data is stored in your smartphone, which could be a nightmare if it were ever to be lost or stolen. Thankfully many devices come with built-in security features such as fingerprint scanners and pass codes. Make sure you’re using at least the bare minimum cyber security tools that come installed. In addition to what comes standard on your phone, there are other measures you could take. There are now apps out there that can remotely wipe all the data on your phone. So if your phone were to ever fall in the wrong hands, that’s one way to ensure the data won’t be retrievable by anyone (even you).

Awareness
One of the greatest defences against cyber security threats is awareness. Keeping yourself aware and up-to-date on the latest threats is an effective way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. Many people have valuable data stolen by phishing scams because they were never aware such a threat was out there. A phishing scam is when someone tricks you into willingly providing personal information, such as passwords or credit card data, because they’ve disguised themselves as an authority. Knowing phishing scams exist, you can be extra careful if you ever get an email from someone asking for your credit card information. It’s not knowing about these types of scams that leaves you vulnerable to attackers

Etc.
What’s listed above should be an effective combination for protecting small businesses from online threats. If your business has an IT department they may be able to implement more advanced cyber security tools such as firewalls and network access control (NAC) products. These add an extra layer of security by ensuring only security-policy compliant devices can access your secure network. These tools can recognize users and their devices, keeping you informed of who’s on your network at any given time. If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment below.