Secure your restaurant operation with Verizon

Cybersecurity is critical to protecting all businesses, no matter their size.  

The technologies and processes used to keep computer systems and data safe allow restaurants, especially smaller mom-and-pop or independent operations, to identify and address threats, reduce the risk of compromising information, establish trust with customers and employees, and increase productivity by mitigating viruses, such as Trojan horses, ransomware, and spyware. 

Cyberattacks can impact businesses, individuals and even governments by disabling websites, computer systems, or databases, allowing criminals to steal sensitive data and affect personal or financial security. 

 The four most common types of cyberattacks are:  

• Phishing, which uses fraudulent communications to steal sensitive data or install malware 
• Malware, intrusive software that steals data and damages computer systems  
• Man in the Middle attacks, where attackers insert themselves between parties to steal data 
• Password attacks, where third parties attempt to crack user passwords 

To help reduce these common security risks, Verizon offers a digital course outlining the basic measures and practices that could help protect against an attack. The course, moderated by Jessica Robinson, a small business advocate and Founder & CEO of PurePoint International, allows operators to identify common security risks that pose a threat to business operations.

Teachings include:  

• Understanding basic principles of web and digital system security 
• Learning key cybersecurity terms and what they mean for your business 
• Applying basic security measures and best practices to protect your systems 
• Exploring available resources and tools to strengthen your security 
• Comparing different approaches to managing and reducing security risks 

“Cybersecurity impacts everyone,” she says. “It doesn’t matter where you're from or what your background is, or if you understand what cybersecurity is or isn’t.” 

Protect yourself against a cyberattack 

According to Robinson, one thing small business operators can do to protect themselves and their data is enable their security settings on whatever applications they’re using, whether it’s email or data storage. “If you do this one thing,” she says, “it could help secure your information and operations.” 

She also advises operators to avoid common mistakes like using the same password on every website, varying passwords by only one character, sharing passwords with other individuals, using short passwords, storing passwords in plain text, or substituting numbers for letters.  

There are also several tools available to protect data.  

Password Manager. This software application can store and manage online credentials. It also generates passwords that typically are stored in an encrypted database that’s locked behind a master password. The passwords are long, alphanumeric, and nearly impossible to guess. 

Anti-malware and antivirus computer security software. Install these on your networks. They detect, protect against, and remove malicious software. Antivirus software can scan your computer at all times and alert you to anything strange. Anti-malware software keeps valuable data from leaving your computer. Using both could stop attacks from occurring, provide robust web protection, block ads and spam websites, and even speed up your PC.  

Virtual private networks, or VPNs. This gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. VPNs can hide your browsing history and master IP address, so your online actions are virtually untraceable. They also establish secure and encrypted connections to provide greater privacy than even a secured WiFi hotspot. 

SecuritySocketsLayer, or SSL. This protocol is used to encrypt and authenticate data sent between an application, like your browser, and a web server.  

Mobile Threat Defense, or MTD. This software provides protection against cyberthreats on mobile devices, networks, and applications. MTDs can monitor threats by checking OS versions, system parameters, firmware, and device configurations. They’re also able to scan for suspicious activity and vulnerability to attacks, monitor network traffic and analyze code, and reverse engineer applications to try to spot malware. 

Mobile Defense Management, or MDM. This software tool provides security management of your mobile devices and enforces security policies. It also updates equipment and applications, wipes files from a stolen or lost device, audits for compliance, encrypts emails and files, and creates separate and secure environments for work and personal device use. 

 “As a small business owner, it's important to think about your mindset in relation to cybersecurity,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or the size of your business. It’s important for everyone to play a role in cybersecurity.” 

Protect your business.  

Interested in learning more? Sign up for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready for free access to this course.