Jan 13, 2015

As the enterprise sector seeks to improve the protection of sensitive information and company-owned intellectual property, many are missing fatal flaws common in the majority of businesses. Companies that do not follow best security practices could be leaving a gaping hole in their safety plans for hackers to exploit, making it easy for malicious cybercriminals to infiltrate their networks and make off with valuable data. However, by recognizing these routine mistakes, administrators can work to boost the information safeguards within their organizations.

Using unsecure​d file sharing platforms
Kraft Kennedy contributor Nina Lukina noted that one mistake running rampant in the corporate sector is the widespread use of Dropbox and otherunprotected file sharing platforms. These programs may be okay for individual consumers, but do not include the staunch security measures businesses require to maintain protections of their assets in transmission. Instead, organizations should leverage a business-level secure file sharing solution to ensure the safe sending and receiving of files.

Not updating systems
Another issue within many companies is the use of operating systems and programs that are not up-to-date with their security patches. This puts every piece of information accessed and every activity carried out in jeopardy of hacking. Sungard contributor Asher De Metz noted that some organizations are using systems that have vulnerabilities that are years old. As these issues have already been patched, the group is only hurting themselves with this practice. Administrators need to ensure that there is a schedule in place for updates, or that these processes are automated.

Leaving mobile endpoints unprotected
In the current enterprise landscape, employees are leveraging mobile devices for more activities than ever. However, content accessed or stored through these devices is becoming increasingly attractive to hackers.

“Mobile data is at much more risk that secured data at rest,” Lukina wrote. “It can be lost, stolen or rifled through much more easily.”

To prevent this, administrators should be sure that employees protect their mobile hardware with password protection and that files accessed or sent on the platform are encrypted. Additionally, adding monitoring software and remote wiping capabilities only bolsters these efforts.