Cybercrime: How to Protect Yourself and Your Data Against Cyberattacks [5 Reading Tips]

Cybercrime Reading Tips — Source: Pexels/Mikhail Nilov

Both private individuals and large companies are increasingly becoming the target of cybercriminals. For this reason, online shop operators should already take the security of their shop system into account during the development stage. After all, companies have an enormous responsibility to protect not only their own data, but also that of their customers.

Cybercrime Also Affects Major Corporations

MediaMarkt and SATURN are just two of the large companies that have recently been victims of cyberattacks. At least since this scandal, it should be clear that even major corporations are not safe from such attacks – and the consequences are devastating!

Recovering from a cyberattack and missing out on revenue as a result is financially damaging to companies. The loss of trust among customers is no less devastating. They doubt whether their data is still safe and, in the worst case, no longer buy from the company.

Cybercrime: This Is How It Happens

Many companies have lost track of the complexity of their computer systems. That is why it is mandatory that IT becomes part of every business unit. Employees must know how to work securely with systems and trained staff must take care of the operation and further development of system landscapes.

Since many employees work from home nowadays, cybercriminals have an easy time accessing IT systems. Bitkom, Germany’s digital association, has estimated the damage caused by cyberattacks at 220 billion euros per year, which is more than twice as much as before the pandemic.

Cybercrime: Protect Yourself and Your Customers

Install Security Patches

Both hardware and individual programmes and applications can have security vulnerabilities. If these vulnerabilities are not fixed as quickly as possible, hackers can exploit them for criminal purposes. That is why you should install patches immediately in order to secure your devices and applications.

While companies using cloud-based shops can rely on their providers in most cases, companies that have their own servers must take care of security patches themselves.

Put Systems to the Test

Cyberattacks are becoming more and more diverse. In order to uncover security vulnerabilities as quickly as possible, online shop operators should constantly check the security of their systems and databases.

If there is a lack of sufficient knowledge in a company, it makes sense to invest in suitable solutions, for example automated vulnerability scanners and external information security officers.

Require Secure Passwords

In order to protect customers and employees against data theft, you must first and foremost safeguard their login and authentication data. Specific requirements for passwords such as the number of characters and the use of lower and upper case letters, numbers as well as special characters can help. Moreover, offering two-factor authentication additionally protects users against data misuse.