Today the companies around the globe run with the help of digitalized platforms and it is going to grown in future because of the pandemic Covid-19. Apart from the growing pace of digital industries, digital marketing efforts are found to be at more risk of cyber attack compared to other industries. A digital marketing based company has always a considerable risk as the systems might be hacked leading to leakage of data or other financial related fraudulent activities. This is when cybersecurity plays as a vital element in digital marketing.
As for companies, firstly, they need to ensure protection to their customers, partners, and employees who have invested their time and money to secure various digital platforms such as the company’s website, social platforms, payment portals, and to secure internal systems such as an intranet, email, and records.
Digital marketing, because it serves as a point of interconnection with the customers and have access to their financial information requires extra efforts to prevent a breach in company’s online security and to gain public’s trust.
The following steps the companies must take into consideration to protect their business from cyber attack:
- Protection of Website
Protection of website is one of the most important factor a company should take care of as sites which are poorly configured acts as an easy target for hackers and criminals. Hacking of websites can also lead to financial loss, damage the company’s reputation and even a minor attack can slow down the website activities or responses and these can make it difficult for the customers to access the website. So, this problem is referred to as Denial Of Service Attacks(DoS), which can send the customers to the competitor’s website.
Hackers use various tools to gain access to sensitive information of people on the website. Once they gain access, they may steal information or data from people who visit the website; for example, credit card information, access to databases behind the website in order to post inappropriate content or manipulate the website with traffic to cause Dos.
So these tips may be helpful in protecting your website:
- Update Content Management(CMS) System Regularly
A company’s CMS must be updated upon the release of new version.
The companies regularly update their software products which revolve around new security measures as they try to keep up with the hackers and this can prevent most of the cyber attacks.
- Implement 2-factor authentication
This can help reduce the chance of hacking and thus strengthening security. Consider installing a web application firewall, which puts the site behind a virtual wall that analyses the traffic and blocks the attacks.
- Install an SSL certificate
It is important that the customers must have trust towards the company in handling their data while they visit the website. This can be achieved by installing an SSL certificate as this protects information that has been sent and received from unauthorized access.
- Email systems
Cybercriminals use email systems to distribute malware or send fraudulent invoices to disrupt business operations. A malware called ‘ ransomware’ locks all the data behind a paywall and thousands of dollars are made before the data is released by the attackers.
In order to prevent this, employees should be trained to recognize the fraudulent emails and not to click on these emails containing any links.
- Social Media
The need of cybersecurity is often neglected when it comes to the area of social media accounts. Social media accounts can be hacked with ease and can cause serious damage to the company’s brand and reputation. Social media should be protected just like a website or an email system is protected and most importantly, do not forget to set complex passwords, restricted access, and 2-factor aunthentication.
4. IT Systems
Internal IT Systems are a huge target for attackers and if they get access to the local network or servers, cybercriminals can steal data that can severely impact business operations. Ensure protection with strong passwords which should be changed frequently and a VPN should be installed to prevent cyberattacks.
