Every person who is working online has to contend with the possibility of data breach. This is especially true for a digital marketer. Cybersecurity in digital marketing is crucial.
A digital marketer is often looking over an entire website, so if they are not cautious enough to recognize a potential threat online, it can cause the website to collapse financially.
The most important factor to get rid of most cybersecurity issues is to use a VPN. By using a VPN or Virtual Private Network, all your internet traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel. This keeps it secure from the eyes of hackers and cybercriminals.
Among many VPNs, ExpressVPN is the most secure and reliable VPN you can use to protect your data as stated in this review by VPNRanks.
In this guide we’ll be learning the importance of cybersecurity in digital marketing and what marketers should do to prevent issues from happening in the future.
Importance of Cybersecurity in Digital Marketing
There is a huge importance of cybersecurity in digital marketing and day-to-day business. The 4 most important areas are as follows:
1. Protect your Website
Protecting your website is the first thing when it comes to digital marketing strategy. A website that is poorly protected and configured can become an easy target for cybercriminals.
If your website is hacked or compromised in any way, users won’t be able to access all or parts of the website. It may result in financial losses, damage to your reputation, and regulatory fines.
Once a hacker gets hold of your website, they can steal sensitive data, credit card information of customers, and more. Having said that, what can you do to protect your website?
First, make sure you have implemented IGA i.e. 2 factor authentication (2FA) which strengthens your overall website security and reduces the chances of hacking.
You can also consider getting a Web Application Firewall (WAF) which carefully screens the traffic going through it. It then stops any potential cyberattacks. This can also prevent your website from malware and DoS attacks.
Besides that, if you’re working on WordPress, make sure all of the WordPress plugins are updated.
Lastly, always choose your hosting provider carefully. A weaker host will make your website more vulnerable to attacks.
2. Handling Data Transactions
The Importance of Cybersecurity in Digital Marketing
Digital marketers also work on e-commerce websites where you are accustomed to using the third-party payment services such as PayPal.
As a result, hackers and cybercriminals are always on the lookout to get hold of customers’ payment information and credit card details by inserting malware.
To avoid this, make sure your website is ‘https secured’. Also enable 2FA authenticity as discussed above.
3. Protect your Social Media Accounts
We can’t deny the importance of social media activity by digital marketers. There is also not enough emphasis on how important it is to secure your social media accounts from hackers. Social media is one of the most targeted cybersecurity issues in digital marketing.
Despite the improvement in security by social media websites, they are still hacked at times. This can create a negative image and damage your brand reputation.
Protect your social media accounts how you protect your website. Ensure you have a complex but secure password (at least 20 characters in length) and restricted access to only those who really need to post anything on that account. As well, consider 2-factor authentication for added security.
4. Protect your Emails
Email interception and email phishing is still the most widely used tactic to distribute malware. According to one report, 97% of users cannot identify a sophisticated phishing email.
If you’re not able to completely understand if it’s a phishing email or not, you’re more likely to click on a link that contains viruses and malware.
A new piece of malware called ransomware can even lock up all your data behind a paywall. They can then ask you for a ransom of thousands of dollars to release your data from the attack.
To avoid email phishing, employees should be trained to recognize a fraudulent email and to not click on any links.
They should also be using a VPN at all times as discussed it in the beginning.
Key Takeaways
Digital marketers are responsible for managing the website that generates revenue for the business. Cyberattacks are constantly looming online. To stop a cyberattack, a digital marketer must understand how they work and what potential it has to bankrupt a business.
The guide explains everything related to the importance of cybersecurity in digital marketing and how marketers may help avoid cyber threats.
Source: https://www.mikegingerich.com/blog/the-importance-of-cybersecurity-in-digital-marketing/
