Confusing contact forms may be helping thieves steal Data

Why are online contact forms the easiest ways a company has to lose customer service and also a customer’s trust without even trying to do so? Why are contact forms the weakest link in a business’s website?

Companies collect a gold mine of information about a customer from a contact form, including the usual: name, number, address and passwords. Contact information also may give helpful advice into what a customer is purchasing online. By knowing this little nugget of information, a company can tailor their sales pitch in order to meet the customer’s specific needs.

Clear contact forms make them easy to understand, less chance to lose Data

If customers understand contact forms, they won’t be as likely to enter the wrong information because they are confused. However, an easy-to-understand form also helps employees. If employees can understand information customers leave in forms, there is no question of where to valuable and much-needed customer data. It allows employees to easily contact a customer if there is a question about an order.

It is no secret that contact forms are necessary on the Internet. However, remember simple is better. Get rid of the information you do not need. A shorter form will allow customers to submit information more easily and help companies from storing information that isn’t needed. Should a company form ask for a social security number? If asking for this is necessary, it is best to have a secure website, so that hackers cannot easily hack into a server and obtain this information. It is also best to explain the privacy policies upfront to customers so they know how, and how much of their data is being accessed. Does the company share with third-parties? Information of this nature should be disclosed before a customer signs a consent form.

Are contact forms Safe?

Are business contact forms a source of attack for a cyber-hacker? A hacker likely won’t simply hack only a contact information page. A hacker wants access to a website. This reason may be why entire websites are hacked, not just contact forms. Are a company’s forms safe to use without having to worry your sensitive data has been stolen.

It may depend on what security measures a company has on its site. Is sensitive data encrypted before it is uploaded and sent to the company? As a customer, do you trust the company? Customers should trust their gut, if a company’s offer seems too good to be true, steer away from the “Contact” page.

UK businesses are teaming up to reduce data losses and the need for data Recovery

Forty-five small businesses have banded together to accomplish one goal: stop cybercrime. It is no secret that hackers have increasingly switched their targets from larger corporations to smaller businesses. Forty-two percent of small business owners have reported hackers have stolen sensitive data and caused the need for owners to update their security measures and send hard drives to a data recovery centre to recover lost files. But can your business afford to be out of business for two days because of hackers or lose hundreds of pounds an hour because of cybercrime.

How big of a problem are hackers? Cybercrime cost thousands of pounds a day for many business owners. According to the Guardian, cybercrime is up10 percent from last year and Parliament and the Houses determined small businesses needed assistance fighting cybercrime. Did you know that the UK government has issued a £5,000 Invocation Voucher to help smaller businesses hire outside IT assistance. But how big is the problem of cybercrime?

Is cyber hacking a ‘Top 5’ threat in the UK?

Who knew that cyber hacking would become so popular? According to reports, cybercrime ranks as one of the top threats to national security. It is ranked above the threat of a nuclear attack on Great Britain. With much at stake, one UK business has developed software that they want to use besides on-the-job training. Why use a computer game to thwart hackers? Using a computer game makes the subject of hacking and the need for security needed. It has possibly made the subject more hands-on for small businesses that do not know where to begin when discussing cybercrime. Has this helped small business owners understand the importance of having security measures in place?

One security analyst developed a virtual computer and recorded the changes as he allowed hackers to make changes to a computer and recorded those changes. His experiment was launched to help companies see how important security is for companies with networks and companies without a dedicated IT support staff. He wanted to highlight why having security to protect against data loss was important. Did you know data loss prevention is cheaper than paying a trained professional to assist in data loss recovery?