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What is Your Cyber-Theft Prevention Plan?

Hand break glass that says cybersecurity
Cybersecurity

You don’t have to be a tech guru to know that cybersecurity is a big deal. When the U.S. government and a major financial player like Equifax get hacked, it’s time to take the issue seriously. So what is your cyber-theft prevention plan?


In September 2017, the credit-reporting company Equifax reported a massive data breach that compromised the personal identifying information 182,000 U.S. customers and the credit card numbers of 209,000 more. The news reports about the incident caused many business owners to see that cyber-theft really could happen to them.

Now, the question isn’t could you get hacked, because the answer is universally yes. The question is what you are going to do about it?

Only Give Customer Information to Trusted Employees

Who handles your customers’ private information when it comes in? By making trusted employees your dedicated gatekeepers of customers’ personal details, you can help ensure that social security numbers, credit card details, and other personal identify information are handled properly and reduce the chance of cyber-theft. You can give each gatekeeper his or her own login information. That way if something does go wrong, you can more quickly nail down what happened and fix it.

Use Reliable Off-Site Credit Card Processing Services

You can greatly reduce the risk of cyber-theft by never accepting the customers’ credit card information into your database in the first place. There are many shopping cart apps and credit card processing services that, when installed and maintained properly, seamlessly redirect customers to highly secure services to enter their personal identifying information and pass the payments on to you. If you don’t have a customer’s financial information, then the hackers can’t take it from you.

Create Data Breach Mitigation Policies and Procedures

Now that cyber-theft is a reality and not just something that happens to somebody else, be prepared. Know ahead of time what you should do if you detect a breach. Consider investing in cyber-security insurance. If you are a licensed professional (like lawyers and medical professionals), know what your ethical responsibilities are. Knowing the plan before the breach happens can protect against ethical issues and further delays in responding to a cybersecurity threat when it happens.

Stay Up To Date on Security Patches and Software Updates

If a small business is targeted for cyber-theft it will probably be through known vulnerabilities in the company’s website or security software. When a website management company releases a security patch, it is usually because someone found a hole in their defenses. The longer you let those software updates linger, the more likely you will become the target of an attack.

At Provisio Technology Solutions, we want to help you get ahead of the hackers. We offer website maintenance and monitoring services that will keep your online assets up to date and help you respond to any breach that occurs. We want to be part of your cyber-theft prevention plan. Contact us to schedule a meeting today.