Cybercriminals have been leveraging the latest in technology to plan and execute sophisticated cyberattacks. They use artificial intelligence, the Internet of things (IoT), bots, etc., to execute malware installations, ransomware infections, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, distributed denial-of-service attacks, phishing, and other cyberattacks.
Hackers take advantage of weak cybersecurity policies and obsolete IT security infrastructure. Unfortunately, quite a few businesses realize the importance of protection against cyberattacks only after becoming victims. Organizations need to think of ways to prevent cyberattacks before it is too late.
Investing in the right solutions to cybersecurity can help IT administrators and specialists improve their organization’s security posture.
How to Avoid Cyber Attacks
Build a culture of security by embedding security in all your processes.
- Situational awareness and cybersecurity training can help employees stay vigilant, proactively report suspicious behavior, and defend against cyberattacks.
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), so users will have to verify their identity with multiple types of credentials before accessing accounts.
- Apply role-based access control to ensure only the right people have access to the right assets, thus preventing breaches.
Other Essential Steps for Preventing Cyberattacks
Keep Software and Systems Up to Date
Deploy an automated patch management system to manage your IT assets easily and effectively. Regular security updates can ensure your enterprise software and systems are up to date at all times, averting intrusions and data theft.
Protect All Endpoints
With the increasing adoption of remote-work models, business users and employees are accessing crucial enterprise data on personal devices. Hence, organizations wondering how to stop cyberattacks must consider securing all associated endpoint devices. Minimize the risk of cyberattacks and vulnerability exploitation of all mobile phones, tablets, and laptops connected to your corporate network with centralized cloud patch management software.
Install a Firewall and Secure it
Securing your organization’s network with a firewall is one of the most important ways to prevent cyberattacks. However, once installed, IT administrators must make sure it functions effectively with required firmware updates, log monitoring, vulnerability scans, and more. A firewall patch management policy can prevent hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in the network security device.
The Role of Patch Management in Preventing Cyberattacks
The measures listed above emphasize patch management is crucial for preventing cyberattacks.
- A study by Ponemon Institute reveals poor patch management was the key reason behind 57% of data breaches.
- 62% of respondents who participated in another study by the institute struggled to track if vulnerabilities were patched in time.
- High-Tech Bridge Security Research highlights 92% of web applications have security flaws and vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit.
Key Advantages of Automated Patch Management
Defining software patch management policies can help you manage your organization’s software assets seamlessly. Action1’s patch management policies can automate patching and updates, freeing your IT team from manual tracking. The solution scans all remote as well as in-office endpoints for vulnerabilities with centralized cloud patch management.
The automated solution offers a host of other advantages:
- Detects uninstalled patches
- Checks for new patch releases
- Documents the process and reports outcomes
- Allows flexible patch policy configuration
- Offers real-time alerts and notifications
- Displays patch compliance reports on a centralized dashboard
Get started today with Action1’s automated, centralized patch management solution that will ensure your IT assets are current and resilient.
