The old saying “prevention is better than cure” certainly applies to data privacy. A small amount of harmful code uploaded to your website can cause enormous damage, from a pop-up window opening to a password or session being stolen and even a complete system breach. As part of your security measures for data it is important to define the frequency and duration at which your system is scanned for this kind of malicious code and what safeguards are in place to limit the risk.
Ensure that any software platforms or scripts used on your websites are upgraded regularly. Hackers actively target security vulnerabilities in popular web software programs and a lack of timely updates exposes your system to attack. Additionally, you must restrict access to your network or database to the least number of people required to perform their job.
Develop a plan of action to deal with possible breaches and assign a member of staff to oversee the process. Based on the nature of your business, you may have to inform consumers, law enforcement, customers, and credit bureaus. This is a significant action that must be planned in advance.
Implement strong password requirements for consumer accounts and make sure you have a suitable method to store passwords, such as requiring the use of lower and uppercase letters, numerals and special characters, or using salt and hash functions that are slow. Avoid storing confidential information about users, and, when you must reduce the risk, do so by encryption or deletion of the data after a specific period.