The growth of shadow IT has made it more difficult for businesses to keep their data and systems safe from cyber attacks. Here are four ways to help prevent these attacks:

1. Educate Your Employees 

Make sure your employees know the risks associated with using unauthorized applications and services. Help your employees understand shadow IT and how to pick up on anything that may be a scam. Train them to identify phishing attempts and other signs of malicious activity.

Most companies nowadays have some sort of cyber security policy in place, but employees are often the weakest link to safeguarding against cyber threats. This is because many people are unaware of the risks posed by their everyday actions online. Clicking on malicious links or opening attachments from unknown senders can lead to malware being installed on a company network.

Once malware is present, it can be used to steal sensitive data or launch attacks on other systems. This is why it’s so essential for employees to be educated on cyber attacks. Employees can be more careful when using company computers and devices by raising awareness of the dangers. 

2. Implement Strong Security Controls

There are many steps that organizations can take to prevent cyber threats, but some of the most important is implementing strong security controls. Security controls help protect systems and data from unauthorized access or modification, and they can be both physical and logical. Physical controls might include things like access control systems and security cameras, while logical controls might include things like firewalls and encryption.

Make sure you have robust security measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection, prevention systems, and encryption. Regularly test your systems to ensure they are effective against the latest threats. By implementing a combination of both types of controls, organizations can make it much more difficult for cybercriminals to succeed.

3. Restrict Access to Critical Data and Systems

One key element of strong cyber security is restricting access to data and systems. This helps to ensure that only authorized individuals can view or modify sensitive information. Access control measures can include things like requiring user authentication, setting permissions for who can access what, and auditing activity logs. Limit access to important data and systems to only those who need it. Use role-based access control to ensure that employees can only access the information and resources they need for their job.

Organizations should carefully consider who needs access to which resources and put in place appropriate controls to limit access accordingly. By doing so, they can help reduce the risk of unauthorized disclosure or modification of sensitive data.

4. Monitor Activity on Your Network

Monitoring network activity is one of the best ways to prevent cyber attacks. By keeping an eye on traffic patterns, it is possible to detect suspicious activity and take steps to block it. In some cases, it may also be possible to track down the source of an attack and take action against them.

Cyber attacks come in many forms, from viruses and malware to denial-of-service attacks. The goal of a cyber attack may be to steal data, cause disruption, or simply wreak havoc. There are a number of different tools that can be used for monitoring network activity. 

Use data loss prevention tools to prevent sensitive data from being exfiltrated. Keep an eye out for any unusual behavior, such as unexpected spikes in traffic or new devices connecting to the network.

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you can help keep your business safe from cyber-attacks. Shadow IT can be a major threat to businesses, but by taking steps to educate your employees and implement strong security controls, you can help reduce the risk of an attack.