Havoc Shield Blog

Why consumer-grade equipment is less secure

Written by Brian Fritton | Apr 6, 2020 5:00:00 AM

In the age of information, privacy is power, and the minute we don’t have it we become vulnerable to attack. That’s why so much emphasis is placed on securing every gadget we use with password protection and other measures.

As a business leader, it’s even more important to take measures to ensure that all of your industry secrets and future business plans are kept safe. Your business’ longevity and shareholder confidence depend on that. Not to mention your reputation.

However, did you know that regular consumer-grade cybersecurity software may not be enough to protect your business or your home? Keep reading to learn more.

The importance of cybersecurity

The days of the Rolodex are long gone. Nowadays, we use our gadgets to store all our important information - including financial data. Although the average device has sufficient protection to keep most information secure, there are always loopholes.

From hacking to phishing scams and more - there’s no shortage of vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit. These vulnerabilities are even more pronounced in consumer-grade cybersecurity products which typically lack the robust protection provided by our business-grade tools.

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is a way to protect gadgets such as computers, mobile phones, electronic system networks, and data. It’s a system that’s designed to protect your privacy by keeping your gadgets safe from attack. Cybersecurity can also be referred to as information technology security or electronic information security.

The following cybersecurity methods are often used to protect the network systems in companies and businesses alike, but they’re very rare to find in average consumer-grade equipment:

Network security: This is a method designed to protect and secure a computer's network from anyone who might try to sign in without the owner’s details, such as hackers, etc.

Application security: The main purpose of application security is to keep software and devices safe from anyone who would try to hack them.

Operational security: This refers to the protection and handling of data assets. In fact, all processes and decisions occur under operational security. For instance, if you’re the owner of a business and you want to access a network or find out how your data is used or stored, this is the place to get all that information.

Why it’s easy to breach household devices

If there’s one place where safety is paramount, it’s in our homes. That’s where we go to relax and unwind after achieving our goals each day. However, when it comes to digital security, the modern home is often the least secure place.

Modern-day criminals have been known to use the internet to steal money and other important information at the tap of a button. Their methods include; bogus email links, social media con artistry, or the creation of very complicated viruses that can affect all of your systems. These offenders are experts and the only way not to be one of their victims is to secure yourself with quality cybersecurity.

From poor passwords that are rarely changed, to interconnected devices that open up the whole household to infiltration, there really is no shortage of vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit. For instance, most people tend to use their children's birthday or the name of their first pet as a password, when both are easy to guess for the average cybercriminal.

What's more, a breach in one of your devices, say a child's tablet, can open the door for a hacker to access all the other devices on your home's network, from your personal computer to your smart security system. And a consumer-grade cybersecurity system will do very little to protect you from all of this.

Why you should invest in professional-grade equipment

Business leaders, industry professionals, households, and even students can benefit from quality cybersecurity. It’ll take care of your online privacy and security while giving your business a competitive edge.

That's because, unlike consumer-grade equipment, business-grade cybersecurity solutions offer comprehensive privacy and safety. Some of the benefits of business-grade cybersecurity software include:

- Monitoring system access which checks what web pages other workers visit for security breach reasons.
- Regular software system checks to look out for unprotected data that hackers might use to exploit the system.
- Updating hardware and software to repair and correct errors that might result in a problem.
- Regular vulnerability scans and convenient password managers.

These are just some of the ways in which business-grade cybersecurity solutions are far superior to consumer-grade products. It'll protect you from ransomware and adware, improve your processing speed, and more.