Enterprise security leaders protecting small businesses from cyberattacks may implement these tips to ensure the cybersecurity posture of their organization. From multi-factor authentication to annual penetration testing, there are always more methods to implement in order to better secure small businesses from cyberattacks.

There are many technologies and solutions that businesses can implement to help prevent the theft and encryption of data. Black Talon Security CEO Gary Salman names the top 10 best practices to help enhance the security of an organization’s network, which include:

1. Enable two- or multi-factor authentication (TFA/MFA) for any application or website that supports it. MFA sends a unique code to a device phone or activates an authentication APP to validate login.
2. Use strong passwords everywhere. Create strong passwords by combining a minimum of 12 characters, numbers and special characters such as @, $, #, & and !.
3. Never use the same password across multiple websites or applications. Every website and/or application should have a unique password.
4. Implement password management tools to manage and create strong/unique passwords.
5. Utilizing remote access tools can present tremendous risk to small businesses. Using the paid business versions of these technologies, as well as MFA and strong passwords, can help mitigate this cyber risk.
6. Train the entire organization to recognize threats such as phishing, spear phishing, social engineering, business email compromise (banking wire fraud) and proper use of removable devices. Test them using a phishing simulator.
7. Employ a cybersecurity firm to evaluate firewalls and perform real-time vulnerability management to uncover exploitable devices on an organization's network that may expose them to a breach or ransomware attack.
8. Conduct an annual penetration test performed by a third-party ethical hacker to identify risks and potential attack vectors.
9. Perform a security risk assessment to evaluate how and where the business may be attacked.
10. Deploy artificial intelligence (AI)-based threat detection and mitigation technology known as extended detection and response (EDR) software on all computers and servers.