New Year’s resolutions on cybersecurity that every startup should keep

As regular readers of TechCrunch will know, 2024 was – like the years before it – fraught with data breaches, ransomware attacks, and countless hacks that took advantage of small software vulnerabilities. Even the best-equipped organizations have failed to stop hackers from their systems in the past twelve months. AT&T suffered its second breach of the year, this time affecting “all customers”; Ticketmaster had 560 million records stolen the hack of cloud storage giant Snowflake; is a health insurance giant Change Healthcare was hit by a buyout group which obtained medical information for about one-third of all Americans.

Your startup doesn’t have to face the same problem in 2025. Some simple security measures can help keep malicious hackers at bay.

Here are some simple – but useful! – the online security decisions you need to make as we head into the new year.

Keep your company password safe

Password managers Keep all your company passwords safe, so your employees don’t have to worry about remembering them. Password managers also help you create and store unique and complex passwords for all your accounts. This can help prevent account compromises caused by password reuse, where hackers take advantage of people who use the same username and password for different online accounts. Soon one password has been compromisedhackers can log into other accounts of that person using the same password. Some companies are moving away from passwords altogether depending on the passkeywhich combats phishing threats, and other silent technology.

Use multi-factor authentication

Passwords alone are not strong enough to protect your most important accounts from threats. Hackers stole it at least 1 billion articles for you in 2024, they were heavily aided by the use of stolen corporate account credentials that were left unprotected by multi-factor authentication.

MFA, a security feature that requires users to provide additional numbers beyond passwords when logging in, makes it more difficult for cybercriminals to break into online accounts. In the case of the cloud computing giant Snowflake, ordering the use of MFA can be banned two hackers from stealing the sensitive information of AT&T and other customers of more than a hundred companies.

Many security providers recommend using authentication programs that generate access codes for the device, instead of codes sent by SMS message, which can sometimes be intercepted.

Keep your software up to date

Some of the most damaging breaches of 2024 were caused by a decades-old problem: Vulnerabilities in third-party software. One The main target of hacking in recent years is file-based devicessoftware used by large companies and businesses to often transfer large data files over the Internet. Some file transfer products and other business technologies have been around for years (or even longer), and are only rated for their ability to store the information of the companies involved.

When some bugs are used like zero days – a vulnerability that appears before a patch is available – the best thing companies can do is make sure your internal software is up-to-date and that security patches are applied as soon as possible.

Save your company data

Ransomware attacks had other features record breaking year in 2024, companies will pay hackers a lot of money to get their data back (and protect it from being leaked online). Regularly backing up your company’s data is an important defense against data breaches and hacking attacks. Backups, in turn, can be targeted by hackers because of their ability to help victims successfully restore their businesses without significant data loss. Having an external backup can help in the event of a security or data disaster.

Stop calling

Although hackers have for years relied on malware-laden emails as their weapon of choice against victims, other groups tear them apart they are starting to make phishing calls as their primary method of hacking organizations. A single phone call to the IT help desk of the casino and hotel giant MGM is said to have led the way its biggest breach in 2023which cost the entertainment giant at least $100 million. Like TechCrunch’s Zack Whittaker he writes well here: Always be suspicious of unexpected calls, even if they come from seemingly legitimate people, and never share confidential information over the phone without verifying it through another form of communication first.

Be transparent

Even if you do everything right, there are no guarantees that your startup will not be monitored. Startups are the target of hackers, due to their limited resources compared to large companies. If your company has been affected by a cyberattack, staying ahead of the curve can make a big difference in terms of the outcome. Being transparent can help your customers take action if necessary, and sharing information can help others protect themselves from the same pain in the future.

Not only can a data breach damage your reputation, but it can also cost you money very much in fees – but it can also get you places TechCrunch’s annual ‘criminal breach’ of the year.