Passwords and People are the Biggest Risks to Businesses’ Cyber Security, says Consolidated Communications’ Head of Network Security

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Consolidated reminds businesses 81 percent of breaches are caused by weak or stolen passwords

Your employees may present the biggest risk in network security, reports Aaron Reason, senior director of Network Security for Consolidated Communications a leading broadband and business communications provider. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and in addition to serving business customers with best-in-class broadband and security services, Consolidated is aiming to educate businesses and individuals on safe online practices at Consolidated.com/staysafeonline.

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“there’s no substitute for knowing your network security environment and working with a trusted partner.”

“Between phishing, vishing and bad password practices, bad actors are gunning for your business,” Reason shared recently on LinkedIn. “Of course, you need to have strong partners in network security, and ensure your firewalls are ready for the next attack, but you also need to actively educate and train your employees.”

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Passwords continue to be the top cause of cyber breaches, and for good reason. Faulty memories lead the majority of people to reuse passwords across platforms, and three in four people say they aren’t sure how to create a secure password at all. This creates an ideal scenario for hackers, and once they are in, new forms of attack are making them harder to detect than ever before.

In the business world, proactive network management and a strong firewall are crucial, as are zero-trust network security policies. While artificial intelligence can be a useful tool in a company’s defense, Reason explains “there’s no substitute for knowing your network security environment and working with a trusted partner.” As for employee education, Reason recommends ongoing education to ensure every employee:

• Knows how to recognize and report phishing – still one of the primary threat actions used by cybercriminals today;
• Understands the benefits of using a password manager;
• Enables multi-factor authentication on personal devices and business networks, wherever available; and
• Installs updates on a regular basis and turns on automated updates.

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