Throughout the year, the number of hacker attacks and network scans on businesses increase, coming to a peak in November — just in time for Black Friday for e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers and at the height of busy season for a number of other businesses, as well.

Hacker attacks can result in a loss of security, as well as viruses that cause corrupt files and a loss-of-data, requiring emergency data recovery.

1 – Update your anti-virus software to prevent your system from new threats. This should go without saying but, especially in organizations with a small IT staff or no IT staff (and definitely in the case of individuals) we often neglect this easy, inexpensive yet crucial first step to security.

2 – Properly configure firewalls – Hand-in-hand with anti-virus software, you’ll want to make sure your firewalls are configured properly and functioning correctly. This, along with passwords, is your network’s first line of defense against hackers.

3 – Speaking of passwords, follow password best practices and make sure your employees do the same. Never write down passwords, and select passwords that are not actual words, and include a mix of numbers and letters.

4- Protect your computer in a physical sense, by protecting your business or home from break-ins with an alarm system and adequate locks (and video cameras when appropriate), never leave laptops unattended in public places, and never type your password when someone else is in the room to see.

5 – Remember that any computer or network can fall victim to hackers. Attacks can lead to viruses and trojans that corrupt files and lead to the loss of mission critical data. Know who to call when you face a data recovery emergency.

24 Hour Data prides itself on our fast, friendly service and our data recovery success rate — the best in the industry. Our data recovery specialists are standing by and ready to help you, any time, day or night.