Information Security for the Accounting Department

With the rapid advancement of science and technology, information leakage—and even the risk of cyberattacks—has become a very real possibility. Data in general, and accounting data in particular, is confidential information for every business. Protecting this information is directly related to business performance and a company’s competitiveness in the market.

Enterprises need to take proactive steps to ensure the security of their systems. The accounting department is no exception, as cybercriminals increasingly recognize that financial information stored in weak systems is an attractive target.

What is needed to secure accounting information?

Prevention is always better than cure. Businesses should develop a plan to review and assess every link in their system, including servers, workstations, cloud solutions, and even employees.

Professional security service providers can support companies in conducting these assessments, helping to identify potential risks and security vulnerabilities that the business may not have anticipated.

Perimeter Security for the System

The network system enables businesses to stay connected and operate efficiently, so ensuring its security is essential. Network architecture should be designed and implemented to support stable operations while maintaining a high level of security. This includes continuously monitoring network activities and identifying potential threats that may originate from both internal and external sources.

Data Access Control and Authorization

Allowing employees from other departments to access accounting data represents a major vulnerability in accounting data security. A comprehensive access control strategy is required, in which access to information is granted based on employees’ roles or positions within the company. Data must be clearly classified and permissions strictly defined and enforced.

R&W Read, write, and edit permissions for data.

Deny Access is prohibited.

By reviewing the access control table, it can be seen that Nguyễn Trâm and Phạm Trang, who belong to the accounting department, are allowed to access and edit data in the ACC folder. Nguyễn Tuấn, who works in the design department, is not permitted to access the ACC folder containing accounting data.

User Passwords Must Be Strong

Passwords are one of the leading causes of information leakage, with approximately 80% of cyberattacks being related to weak passwords or user errors. A strong password should be difficult to guess and include a combination of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers, with a minimum length of at least 8 characters.

Data Backup and Recovery Planning

Data is the lifeblood of a business and must remain accessible even after incidents such as natural disasters or fires. In addition to being regularly scheduled for backup, data should also be supported by a clear recovery plan in the event of loss. This ensures that the business as a whole, as well as the accounting department in particular, can continue to operate normally.