When it comes to personal data, it is no different when it is stored in SME PCs or a bank server. For cybercriminals, data is their goal.
Bank-level cybersecurity sounds fancy and hard to afford to most business owners. However, if we try to break it down into a few steps and focus on essentials, it suddenly becomes achievable. Let's break it down into 3 steps and help all of you understand how they do it and how SMEs can also DIY a bank-level cybersecurity on their own.
Step 1: Content Filtering
Not just banks but many companies use content filtering to block websites, emails, or file types that could be unproductive or even harmful. Blocking access to websites has two purposes, preventing employees from sharing sensitive data and preventing malware from infecting company PCs. UK National Cyber Security Center listed web filtering as one of the key controls to reduce your exposure to cyber attacks.
Compared to the other 2 steps, content filtering is relatively easy to achieve. It can be done with modern outbound firewall, via PC agents or via DNS filtering. An SME can easily DIY and set up their own content filtering system with an IT staff or a cybersecurity service provider.
Step 2: Web Isolation
Browser is a must-have tool but also opens doors to many types of cyberattacks. Once a cybercriminal takes control of an employee browser, he can use the browser as a stepping stone. A 100% secure way is to isolate the browser with a remote and disposable system. Cloud Security Alliance blog post wrote: “ The concept is a powerful one – by moving web browsing sessions of the endpoint, and instead of isolating them in remote network (or cloud) containers, RBI would protect devices from all bad things on the web.
Banks are commonly using web isolation technology to ensure extra safety. Their browser isolation technology is integrated with the existing network so that all outbound requests have to go through the isolation platform. How can SMEs achieve this level of security? Well, there are quite a few web isolation options they can consider such as AP Lens. While staying completely isolated, they are protected from all kinds of cyberattacks when browsing on the Internet.
Step 3: Data Backup
Besides installing the best cybersecurity controls, most banks protect their data by backing it up. Through creating multiple copies of critical data such as bank transactions which are encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. It might sound complicated by SMEs can easily do the same by backing their data up manually which allows them to reduce the risk of losing data or threatened by hackers or ransomware.
Not every company can afford a team of cybersecurity experts. However, with the above 3 steps, everyone can easily build a Bank-level cybersecurity protection themselves with a budget they can afford.