Are you beholden to the FTC Safeguards Rule? PCI DSS? GDPR? PIPEDA?

These are different data privacy regulations from the USA, Europe, and Canada respectively. Your local and national government will have their own data protection laws drafted, no matter where you live in the world, because cybersecurity is a global concern!

Why is that? Cyber threats can lead to data breaches, financial losses, and damage to your company’s reputation! A well-defined cybersecurity policy helps mitigate these risks by establishing clear guidelines and procedures that everyone must follow.

Strong cybersecurity practices and policies are critical to safeguard the confidential data in your care – and that’s the reason ALL of these laws require you have such policies and practices in place. Here, we’ll lay out a step-by-step guide to help you understand and follow your company’s cybersecurity policy. It’s the key to protecting your own private data, and the secure information that you handle at work!

What a Cybersecurity Policy Does For You

Do you know what your company’s key assets are? The details vary from job to job, but you can guarantee that these assets include customer data, financial information, and intellectual property. Cybercriminals want to steal all of that confidential data, to exploit directly or sell on the Dark Web for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

Your workplace will have documented regulations, like a privacy policy, which you can request and review at any time. Familiarizing yourself with these rules will help you beware potential risks to your company assets, including malware, phishing attacks, and insider threats.

Part of good cyber hygiene for a company includes establishing access controls; these are basically explicit permissions for you to view privileged information or enter restricted areas of the building. You need to abide your own access level, and also report any suspicious activity you see, like a coworker entering doors they shouldn’t. Insider threats come from people within the organization, and they don’t have to be intentional to do serious damage to data privacy. The more people who know valuable information, the more targets for a cybercriminal to exploit and manipulate.

Furthermore, your workplace cybersecurity policy will help you clearly understand your role and responsibilities regarding cybersecurity. This includes knowing who the cybersecurity officer or team is and what they do; make sure you know your part in protecting the company’s assets, whether it’s following password policies or reporting suspicious activities, so that you can quickly and appropriately react in an emergency.

Behind Common Security Protocols

Your company will have also developed specific security protocols to address the identified risks. These may include:

• Password Management: Use strong passwords and update them regularly.
• Access Controls: Your job responsibilities and level in the organization determines what data you can see or manage. Only access sensitive information if your job role requires it.
• Data Encryption: Use encrypted platforms to communicate and store protected data.
• Software Updates: Keep all your software and systems updated to patch vulnerabilities.

So how can you stay educated about your company’s specific privacy regulations? Take part in cybersecurity training sessions and awareness programs! If they offer courses on phishing recognition and reporting, harassment prevention, and other trainings, take active part in them to educate yourself about best practices. Regular training can help prevent common threats like phishing and social engineering attacks!

Be further prepared for potential security incidents by familiarizing yourself with your company’s incident response plan. Know the steps to take in the event of a breach, including how to contain the threat, notify affected parties, and help recover from the incident. You may have a role to play in business recovery like transparent communication with customers, re-budgeting or regaining customer trust.

Conclusion

Understanding and following the cybersecurity policy is a critical step in safeguarding your company (and your personal data at home, too) against cyber threats.

By knowing the importance of cybersecurity, identifying key assets and risks, understanding your role, following security protocols, participating in training, knowing the incident response plan, and staying updated, you can help protect your company and maintain customer trust!