News of a Yahoo! data breach which occurred in 2014 hit global headlines, with the tech giant claiming almost half a billion users worldwide - of which eight million were from the UK – had fallen victim to hackers by having their personal information stolen.

With data breaches listed as the most common form of cybercrime committed against businesses, and the Yahoo! hacking scandal proving companies large and small are not immune to becoming a victim of cyber-attacks, Nigel Griffiths, chief operating officer of Newport-based specialist IT consultancy Certus TG, reveals seven top tips for businesses on how to protect themselves against cybercrime.

1. Protect your supply chain

“Cyber criminals have recognised that trying to penetrate the security defences of big companies is often like trying to get into Fort Knox and, as a result, has seen them turn their attention to targeting a business’s supply chain as a way in through the back door.

“As the saying goes, you’re only as strong as your weakest link; to ensure that the supply chain stays cyber safe and not open to attack, businesses need to identify what information is desirable to hackers so that it can be appropriately protected, and monitor online activity to ensure suspicious activity is picked up at the earliest opportunity to avoid a problem which could lead to catastrophic consequences for a business.”

2. Get your head in the Cloud

“Cloud encryption systems are becoming a commonplace and cost-effective method to protect business data from external attacks. As the information is encoded using a complex algorithm, which can only be decoded using an encryption key, hackers find it difficult to crack the data. While it is still possible for hackers to do this, they do not generally have access to the amount of computer processing power they would need to do so.”

3. Create a strong password

“One of the first steps for businesses is to ensure strong passwords are used on corporate devices to protect data, but many fail to do this and allow employees to opt for obvious passwords, like the name of a family pet or favourite football team. Businesses must remember that the general rule is the longer and the more creative the password, the better. Using a mixture of numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and special characters integrated into random words will make it harder for cybercriminals to hack into corporate devices.”

4. Protect your systems against malware

“Businesses are often vulnerable to malicious software which can infect computers through websites and email, so installing and updating security software packages with firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware that will instantly detect, identify and block new and emerging threats, will provide a first line of defence against cyberattacks.”

5. Have a cyber consultancy to hand

“Having a security professional to hand in a business can be hugely beneficial, as they can take immediate action to tackle cyberattacks and minimise risk to a business. It is also vital that a business and its IT security provider have contingency plans and recovery procedures in place ready to mobilise should a security breach occur.”

6. Back up your data

“The cyber security landscape is ever-changing, so businesses must invest time and money into developing robust IT strategies and finding ways to safely store and backup data, so that trophy information is safe from the hands of cybercriminals. One way of achieving this is by using managed hosting services and storing data in heavily protected centres to safeguard a company’s sensitive information from cyberattacks.”

7. Educate your employees

“Some employees may not be aware of the sensitivity of the data they have access to, so educating them on this and how to identify potential IT threats is vital in the fight to reduce the risk of businesses falling victim to cybercrime. It is also in the best interest of a business for rules and guidelines on how to handle sensitive data, to be published throughout a business and its supply chain, to minimise cyber risks.”

Headquartered at Celtic Springs, near Newport, Certus TG provides more than 200 clients across the UK with infrastructure and services - ranging from managed IT support and security to advanced storage solutions, cloud services and desktop virtualisation. Current clients include the Careworks, GoCompare, International Baccalaureate, Julian Hodge Bank, Broomfield & Alexander and Watts Gregory.