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How to protect your business from software security flaws

Aug 17, 2023 | Cyber Essentials, Cyber Security

image cover for high risk software security blog

Businesses in the technology sector are at far greater risk of suffering a data breach, downtime, and disruption. Whilst incurring costs that are associated with cyber attacks more than other businesses in any other sector. The main cause of this is high risk software security flaws that are present in the infrastructure that businesses in this sector use daily.

It’s no secret that the major transition over to online communication and services has caused a greater threat for businesses worldwide. It’s also created more crime opportunities for cyber criminals.

It is far easier to obtain private information and data from someone online than it is in reality. This is achieved by gaining trust from the targeted victim. Either through a phishing scam where the victim has to click on a link or download an infected attachment.

Without a doubt, most businesses and organisation would highly benefit from additional security training for their development teams. The security training would outline ways to protect your business data from exploitation by cyber attackers. It also gives the team the knowledge to easily spot a security flaw and how to quickly resolve it.

Most applications and software feature high risk security flaws. Research by Veracode revealed that around 24% of applications used in this industry all contain a series of security flaws that are classed as high risk.

The race to becoming an industry expert

It does feel like there is real pressure for all businesses, no matter what industry you are based in, to become an expert in your field. Particularly in the technology sector. There is a clear expectation to adopt and use the latest practices, cutting-edge technology, and applications. Failing to do so, puts your business at a disadvantage when compared to your competitors.

However, most of these newly released applications and software are still maturing and are in the early release stages which are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Therefore, it is crucial to regularly monitor these applications and apply all of the right IT practices and measures to decrease your chances of falling victim to a cyber attack.

Tech firms are quick to discover security flaws

Businesses in the technology sector know the industry inside and out. They know what to look out for and how to protect themselves against a cyber attack.

Although organisations are quick to notice vulnerabilities in their systems, it still can take up to 363 days to fix approximately 50% of these security flaws. Therefore, there is still clear room for improvements to ensure that businesses stay secure. You don’t want to be using technology that will take you up to a year to maintain and fix, there is just too great of a chance for a cyber attacker to notice and exploit this vulnerability.

Protecting your business from software security flaws

This year alone, 39% of businesses in the UK identified a cyber attack according to the UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey.

Whether you are in the technology sector or not, no business is truly safe and exempt from falling victim to a cyber attack. However, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) revealed a few ways that your business can increase its cyber security:

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Perform regular back-ups of your data, and store multiple copies both on and off-site.
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Conduct regular patches for all systems, software, applications and devices to keep them up-to-date and secure.
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Install an anti-virus and anti-malware software to detect attempted breaches, attacks and uncover any potential vulnerabilities in your IT.
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Use strong and different passwords for all services, these should also be changed regularly.
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Use multi-factor authentication where possible. This provides an additional layer of protection should your system or account become compromised.
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Encrypt all of your private data.
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Use a firewall and VPN.
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Regular cyber security training for employees, this will give your team the knowledge and skills to recognise phishing scams and greatly lower the risk of falling victim to them.

The guidance will always remain the same, businesses should always stay vigilant and adopt cyber security practices that go beyond the simple steps that we have outlined above.

At Solutions4IT we can help check the security of your business through a simple cyber essentials assessment, and provide vital support to protect your business from cyber threats.