According to a recent report by Juniper, cybercriminals will steal around 33 billion records from companies in 2023. For the recruitment industry, this prediction is of particular concern.
From candidate lists to financial records, sensitive data is central your work. Unfortunately, however, having access to such important data puts you at particular risk from hackers and cyber criminals.
The days of keeping your data safe in a locked cabinet are now long gone. Instead, all of your important data is stored electronically and that means — like everything that’s stored online — that it’s at risk.
If cybersecurity best practice isn’t followed, your intellectual property and the overall data integrity of your company may be put at risk.
I’ll outline the major cyber threats that you need to be aware of and provide specific steps to help mitigate the risks.
Data Handling
Candidate information needs to be secure. Keep the data stored on a secure device. Maintain up-to-date software, create strong passwords, and enable two-step authentication on all devices holding sensitive information.
You likely keep contact important details on your phone. To ensure that any work contacts are kept safe from both competitors and hackers, enable mobile device management software. This will allow you to remotely wipe the data stored on your device in the event that it’s lost or stolen.
Store all of the data in line with the recent GDPR regulation. Doing so requires you to only hold personal data for as long as necessary and provide clear information on how users data will be stored, among other considerations. If compliance is not fulfilled, your company could face a hefty fine.
Remote Work
Public WiFi like those provided on trains, cafes and hotel lobbies are easily hackable, meaning that you could be providing someone else with open access to all of your sensitive documents and files. Man-in-the-Middle attacks are particularly prevalent and, given how easy they are to perform, pose significant risks to your data security.
The only way to stay secure while using public WiFi networks is by using a VPN service. However, not all VPN services offer the same level of service. Choosing a trusted and well-reviewed programme, such as IPVanish or Cyberghost, allows you to connect to public WiFi safely as they encrypt your data in transit.
Internet Safety
Even while you’re working in the office, there are still some important cybersecurity tips that you need to be aware of to keep your data secure.
Recruiters are often the victims of phishing scams because of the sensitive information that they have access to. If you receive an email from an unknown contact, make sure to follow these steps before clicking on any links. Importantly, some of these fraudulent emails will disguise themselves as genuine candidates, so it’s always worth checking before opening any attachments.
While online, check that the website that you’re on is secure and that it has an HTTPS certificate. You should also never download apps, files or data from unknown sources. Doing so can lead to malware being planted on your device which has the potential to affect your company’s entire cybersecurity.
Perhaps the most worrying trend in recent years has been the rise of ransomware infecting recruiters’ computers. Ransomware, like Wanacry and Locky, encrypts your files so that you can no longer access them and demands the payment of a ransom for access. If your device becomes infected with ransomware, follow these steps.