Hacks of remodeling businesses are on the rise. In fact, small businesses experienced an alarming 424% increase in cyber attacks last year. The cost of being hacked can be exorbitant, leading 60% of victimized businesses to go under six months after a hack. Yikes!
Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your home improvement business from hackers. Our technology experts assembled a list of easy strategies you can use to safeguard your remodeling business from cyber attackers.
Here are six cybersecurity best practices for remodeling companies:
Think of your password as a lock on a door: a weak lock makes the entire house vulnerable to intruders. These days, hackers have advanced techniques to rapidly crack passwords. That’s why we recommend using unique passwords for each user and account. You should also avoid making a password that contains information a hacker could easily guess. This includes your name and your company’s name. We also recommend having your employees change their passwords at regular intervals–quarterly is satisfactory, but monthly is ideal.
Keep intruders out of your network with a firewall. Unprotected networks are wide open to unwanted visitors who can access any data your employees transfer via the network. A sturdy firewall will ensure only authorized users have access to your company’s network.
Any device connected to the internet is a risk. That means all internet-enabled devices, from computers to cell phones and tablets, should have antivirus software installed. Be sure to keep up with updates and patches as they come out. Expired antivirus software is vulnerable to the latest threats.
Human error is one of the top cybersecurity threats to home remodeling businesses. This is especially true for social engineering attacks, which is when hackers try to trick employees into giving up details like login credentials and passwords. All of your employees should understand the importance of maintaining cybersecurity best practices for home remodelers. They should also have a clearly defined set of rules to follow when using internet-connected devices.
The most important lesson to teach your employees: use common sense when you get unsolicited emails! If an email appears to be phishing or a scam, it probably is, and you shouldn’t download files or click on links in fishy emails.
Hardware can be stolen, lost, or misplaced. Any information stored on these devices is at the mercy of whoever took them. Ensure all devices are password protected in case they fall into the wrong hands. Employees who take any devices out into the field, like company phones and tablets, should be aware of the importance of the data stored on their devices and how to protect it.
Your company is only as safe as any third party providers you partner with. These include vendors, CRMs, payment apps, and more. If a third party experiences a data breach, it can easily impact your own data. Sensitive information like usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, and customer information can be exposed. That’s why it’s critical that you only provide access to trusted third parties. Here at Built-Right Digital, we use the latest and greatest cybersecurity best practices to keep your home improvement website safe and secure.
With these best practices in hand, you’ll be well on your way to protecting your home improvement company from cybersecurity threats. Not only will this safeguard your company’s data and finances, but it signals to future customers that you’re dedicated to their safety and security as well.