CalChamber Collaborates with Attorney General on Cybersecurity Guide
Kamala D. Harris
The California Chamber of Commerce has joined with Attorney General Kamala D. Harris in releasing a guide outlining recommendations for California businesses to help protect against and respond to the increasing threat of malware, data breaches and other cyber risks.
The guide, Cybersecurity in the Golden State, is the product of a collaborative effort between the California Attorney General’s office, CalChamber and Lookout, a mobile security company.
“Prevention is the best medicine. Not only does the guide provide useful information to reduce the threat of cybercrime, it highlights the need to be proactive in preventing data breaches. This is good for California businesses and consumers,” said CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg.
“I recognize that for many of us, computer technology and cybersecurity are complicated. But there are specific and straightforward steps that all small businesses can and should take to reduce their risk, as well as effective measures businesses can take to respond to cyberincidents should they take place,” said Attorney General Harris.
Key Recommendations
Key recommendations outlined in the guide include:
- Assume you’re a target and develop an incident response plan now;
- Review data your business stores and shares with third parties including backup storage and cloud computing. Once you know what data you have and where it is, get rid of what isn’t necessary;
- Encrypt the data you need to keep. Strong encryption technology is now commonly available for free, and it is easy to use;
- Follow safe online practices such as regularly updating firewall and antivirus software on all devices, using strong passwords, avoiding downloading software from unknown sources and practicing safe online banking by using only a secure browser connection.