As the world becomes more connected every day, the threat of cyber attacks continues to increase. In 2020, data fraud and theft are the two biggest threats to businesses in the United States.
One study predicts that cybercrime can cost users and businesses up to $6 trillion by 2021. To ensure data protection in today’s digital space, companies must take preventive actions before a data breach occurs. In this article, we will discuss how to prevent data breaches by using 4 simple steps.
Add Multi-Factor Authentication
Most customers use weak passwords for their accounts. The best they can come up with is their mother’s maiden name and their pet’s date of birth with an underscore fitted between them. However, for a determined hacker getting through such passwords isn’t difficult at all.
Passwords offer a single layer of protection. To ensure that yours and your customer’s data is safe and protected, you must ensure that you have multi-factor authentication in place. Multi-factor authentication adds another layer of protection for all users. For this purpose, you can leverage 2FA channels such as chat apps, voice, SMS, push notifications, or finger print sensors.
Use Secure Methods of Communication
Customers communicate through several channels. As a business, it’s essential to be available across all channels, so you can communicate with them effectively. That said, not all channels have the same level of security.
This is why it’s essential to use secure communication channels when sharing sensitive information. Your communication channel needs to have end-to-end encryption to ensure that only the communicating partiers read the message delivered over the channel.
Send Real-Time Alerts
Unusual account activity can tell users when their account is in danger of a breach. By a establishing real-time alert system, you can inform users whenever there is unusual account activity related to their account, which helps customers to act fast and prevent fraud.
For instance, if anyone tries to withdraw a large amount of money from a different country, your customer needs must be able to either allow or deny that transaction themselves. For this, you can leverage mobile push notifications and send real-time alerts through Mobile App Messaging.
Mask Users’ Numbers
Your customer’s phone number is more than just a way to contact them. Cybercriminals can exploit these numbers to sign up for different accounts or use it to breach different layers of authentication. For this reason, every business needs to keep customer numbers private and protected.
In other words, whenever your customers speak to your support team, you must mask their numbers to ensure that they remain anonymous.
One survey of online users found that only 21% of people trusted companies to manage their data with care. By allowing customers to maintain the privacy of their phone numbers, you can make sure that your customers feel secure and ready to communicate.
In an extensively connected world, ensuring data protection has become important. The rise in cyber attacks has made some users wary. However, not all of them use proper measures to ensure data security. By using these four simple steps, you can ensure that your customers are safe from data breaches.