The old adage ”prevention is better than cure” certainly applies to data privacy. A single piece of malicious code that is uploaded to your website can cause huge damage. From pop-ups to a complete system compromise, or even a stolen session or password. It is important to include in your data security policy how often and when you look over your system for malicious code, and what security measures you have in place to minimize the risk.
Update your software or scripts that you use on your website regularly. Hackers are targeting security vulnerabilities in popular web software, and a lack timely updates can make your system vulnerable. You should also restrict access to databases or networks to the minimum number of users required to do their duties.
Make a plan to address potential breaches and assign a person from your staff to oversee the process. Based on the nature of your business, you might need to inform customers, law enforcement agencies, and credit bureaus. This is a significant process that should be planned well in advance.
Set up strong password requirements for consumer accounts. Make sure you have a reliable method of storing passwords such as requiring the use of upper and lowercase letters, numerals and special characters or using salt identity fraud protection or hash functions that are slow. Avoid unnecessarily storing confidential user data, and if you do, limit the risk by either encrypting the data or deletion after a period of time.