Cybersecurity in the communications sector: discover how to protect your SME

What activities does the communication sector promote? 

The communication sector is an industry that encompasses a wide range of areas related to products and services related to the ideation, creation, elaboration, processing, and dissemination of information. 

Media, advertising, public relations, marketing, journalism or audiovisual content production, among others, are some of the activities carried out in a sector that research, creates, manages and transmits or publishes content to inform audiences, promote products or entertain audiences. 

Currently, its level of activity has risen exponentially due to the emergence of the Internet: traditional media such as press, television or radio, and events or advertising, are joined by digital media in which a business can carry out its communication from websites, social networks, stream platforms or applications. 

What cyber threats can a communications company face? 

Although the Internet opens a wealth of opportunities, it can also mean the entry of invaders that threaten the security of companies and, therefore, their customers. 

By way of summary, these are some of the dangers you face if you work in the communications sector: 

1. Phishing: this attack consists of sending emails or messages with a fake document or link. By clicking on it, you open the doors of your company to cybercriminals so that they can access databases, confidential information and even bank accounts. 

2. Malware: these are documents that, when opened, send viruses to your devices to block your access to information or files. In addition to infiltrating your system, it can paralyze your production by changing passwords and deleting or stealing data. 

3. Denial of services (DdoS): this is a threat that attempts to collapse a company's servers by saturating them with a massive amount of information that blocks their functionalities. Its objective is to block the system of your business and cause the interruption of your services. 

4. Identity theft: this is a cyber-attack that consists of gaining access to your company's system by stealing your credentials and passwords. It allows hackers to know your confidential information and even make changes. 

What can you do to protect your business? 

Now that you know some of the dangers you face, it's time to find out what cybersecurity solutions and measures you can implement in your business. 

1. Update your software: having updated versions of the programs you use in your business is essential to prevent intrusion by cybercriminals. They take advantage of security holes in non-updated versions to create new attacks, so having the latest versions of the programs and their new solutions helps you to defeat hackers. 

2. Control access: limiting the number of employees who can access systems is also critical to reducing the chances of cyberattacks. Assign permissions only to the people who need them according to their responsibilities to minimize risks. 

3. Make backup copies: keeping backup versions of your documents in secure locations limits the exposure of confidential information. Do this on a regular basis, daily or weekly, to prevent online criminals from finding a way to access your databases. 

4. Use strong passwords: accessing your programs or files with easily identifiable keys - such as your birthday - will help you remember passwords quickly, but it can also be an advantage for cybercriminals. Create a password with all kinds of characters, upper- and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers to make it virtually undetectable. 

5. Install antivirus programs: incorporating software on your desktop that detects and eliminates malicious files that can access your documents allows you to identify the documents that pose a threat to your confidential information. Investigate which programs fit your business needs and purchase the one that best suits them. 

6. Implement two-factor authentication: using strong passwords can help you dodge hacker intrusion for a while. But if you install software that allows you to use two-factor authentication so that when you log in from one device, you have to approve it from another -for example, your mobile phone-, you gain in security. 

Although cybersecurity is a fundamental issue in all sectors, it is especially important in the communications sector, where a lot of content and important databases are handled. Therefore, it is one of the most exposed to cyberattacks and, undoubtedly, SMEs in this sector must assess the cybersecurity barriers that best suit them.  

Thus, in addition to protecting the company, you guarantee the security of your customers, and that is a rising value in the digital universe!