As we talked about in our last blog post, migrating your IT infrastructure to the cloud is a large project that many companies will go or have gone through. With this, there is a misconception that once all of your data is in the cloud, you are done. This is simply not the case. Your data is your most precious resource and should be treated as such, which means you need to be practicing good “security hygiene.”
What is Security Hygiene?
For those who don’t know, security hygiene is a set of practices that ensure your data and systems are kept safe, according to Forbes. Hackers are constantly coming up with new ways to get into your system. The way they come up with these different tactics is by testing your weakest points, usually your employees. This is why it is important to ensure you don’t have weak spots in your system for them to take advantage of.
Good Practices
According to Forbes, here are some steps that you can take to practice good security hygiene:
- Maintain an inventory of all workloads. This gives you a basis to catch any red flags.
- Make sure that servers and their data are protected and private.
- Always require complex passwords.
- Firewall servers to block ports known for malicious activity.
- Secure RDP access.
Importance of Good Security Hygiene
Security is a group effort — everyone is responsible for it. According to GCN, poor security hygiene is the most common cause of successful cyber attacks within critical infrastructure. If you are able to find a hole in the system, there is no doubt that a hacker will be able to as well. Since cyber crimes show no signs of slowing down, practicing good security hygiene at all times should be a top priority.
