Mark Fletcher: 5 ways to increase your cyber security

Several newsagent businesses in Australia have been hit by ransomware in the last week.

The cyberattacks involve malware software being covertly and remotely installed onto a computer, preventing future access to the system until a ransom is paid.

Without appropriate precautions, the operational and financial implications of recovery for a business can be considerable. To protect your business, ensure you increase your cyber security by following these five top tips:

1. Make sure you have regular, reliable off-site backups in a secure firewall-protected location for easy recovery.

2. Do not click on any link or open any attachments in an email you do not trust or were not expecting.

3. Never click on a link in an email relating to a prize offer.

4. Don’t click on a link in an email purporting to be from a bank or the tax office.

5. Read emails before clicking on anything. If you are unsure, do not click.

It is vital you protect your business by managing emails in a thoughtful way.

One business last week was shut down for more than a day because of poor protection. Once they got back up and running they had lost days of data because of inadequate backups. Trying to sell a business with such a data hole could be expensive, so it's important to implement preventative measures.