4 Network Security Tips For Your Small Business

You can’t be too careful securing your network as a small business owner. As hackers are becoming more informed and bolder in their attempts to access sensitive data you need effective security protocols in place to thwart their attempts.

Thinking through possible network weak points is an intelligent starting place for any network admin. Be thorough in exploring potential problem areas. If you can locate weak points it’s likely that hackers have already identified these vulnerabilities and are itching to crack into your network to expose sensitive data.

Use these tips to secure your small business network.

Update Firmware

Keep your network security current by updating router firmware. Your firewall and firmware is likely obsolete after a year. Like operating systems or applications you need to update firmware to protect your network with the latest bug fixes.

Vendors may allow you to check for the latest updates via a dialog box from within the admin menu. You can always check the vendor’s support website to see if you have the latest version of the firmware.

Don’t Allow Pinging

Since hackers often send out ping requests to compromise your network it makes sense to block pings to keep your small business secure. Your firewall and router can be made more or less visible to the outside world through a series of settings. Hackers are constantly on the lookout for ping responses to see if there’s something worth exploring further.

Set your network firewall or router to be unresponsive to network pings. Thwart prying attacker’s eyes by searching through the admin menu to select an option that prevents pinging. Don’t give hackers the opportunity to scout around for sensitive data. Block pinging.

Scan Your Network

Check for security problems like open ports by scanning your network.  Follow a hacker’s lead by probing for weak points within your network. If you can find vulnerable points attackers are likely to locate and take advantage of the same spots.

Security analysts and hackers use tools to probe networks. Use applications like the open source nmap tool for a free, easy to use tool to keep your network security up to snuff.

Make critical adjustments to your firewall by identifying open, exposed ports in the network. Think as a hacker thinks to protect your small business.

Secure IP Addresses

Lock down IP addresses to keep your small business data secure. This approach to securing your network makes sense for a small business with a set number of users. If guest users aren’t usually logging in to your network you are better off locking down IP addresses.

Small business routers typically allocate ID addresses to computers which connect to the network. Although this makes it easier for users to connect to the small business network this added convenience comes at a price. Attackers can more easily access your network if your security is compromised.

Specify IP addresses for network users under the network admin. You can more effectively keep track of your users and spot any irregularities when they arise using this technique.