The cyber threat landscape is evolving faster than many organizations can keep up. Attackers are constantly refining their tactics, exploiting new vulnerabilities, and bypassing defenses that once seemed impenetrable.
Unfortunately, some businesses still cling to outdated security habits sometimes out of convenience, other times out of the belief that “it’s always worked before.” In reality these legacy practices can create a false sense of security while leaving critical gaps that cybercriminals are more than happy to exploit.
Here are 10 outdated cybersecurity practices that are still surprisingly common and what you should be doing instead.
1. Overreliance on Traditional Antivirus Software
Signature-based antivirus solutions were once the standard for endpoint protection, but they simply can’t keep up with today’s sophisticated, evasive threats. Modern malware can mutate, disguise itself, or use fileless techniques that traditional antivirus software won’t detect.
Detection-only approaches also leave a dangerous window of opportunity between a new threat emerging and the vendor releasing updated signatures.
What to do instead: Upgrade to next-generation antivirus or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that use behavior-based detection and machine learning. These solutions can spot unusual activity even if it’s from a brand-new threat and contain it before it spreads.
2. Using Only Passwords (Without MFA)
Passwords remain one of the weakest links in security. Weak, reused, or stolen credentials are a common entry point for attackers. Even long, complex passwords can be compromised through phishing, credential stuffing, or brute force attacks.
Action step: Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all accounts and services, especially for email, remote access, and administrative tools. MFA adds a second barrier, such as a text code or authentication app, making it far harder for attackers to log in with stolen credentials.
3. Believing Firewalls Alone Will Protect You
Perimeter-based defense was designed for a time when most work happened inside an office, on a closed network. But in a world of cloud services, remote work, and mobile devices, the network perimeter is blurry at best.
Firewalls can block some unwanted traffic, but they won’t stop lateral movement if an attacker gets inside your network.
Modern solution: Adopt a Zero Trust architecture that assumes no user or device should be trusted by default. Use micro-segmentation to limit how far an attacker can move within your network if they gain access.
4. Relying on Manual Software Updates and Patch Management
Delaying updates is like leaving your front door unlocked while knowing there are burglars in the neighbourhood. Known vulnerabilities are a favourite target for attackers, and once an exploit is public, the race to patch it is on.
Manual update processes are risky; human error, overlooked systems, and delays can all leave critical gaps.
Upgrade path: Implement automated patch management tools that deploy updates quickly and consistently across all systems, servers, and endpoints.
5. Blind Trust in VPNs for Remote Access
VPNs provide encrypted connections, but they were never designed for the scale and flexibility of today’s hybrid workforce. A compromised VPN account can act as a single point of failure, granting attackers broad access to your internal network.
Alternative: Consider secure access service edge (SASE) solutions, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), or identity-based access controls. These approaches grant users only the resources they need, reducing the risk of lateral movement.
6. Security Awareness Training Once a Year (or Less)
Cybersecurity isn’t a “check-the-box” task. Threats evolve constantly, and employees often the first line of defense need to stay alert. Annual training sessions are quickly forgotten, leaving staff vulnerable to phishing and social engineering.
Recommendation: Make training continuous, interactive, and scenario based. Short, frequent modules paired with simulated phishing exercises can help reinforce good habits year-round.
7. Assuming Compliance = Security
Meeting compliance requirements like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS is important, but it’s not the same as being secure. Compliance standards are often a minimum baseline and may lag behind emerging threats.
Better approach: Treat compliance as a starting point. Go beyond the checklist with proactive threat detection, incident response plans, and risk-based security controls tailored to your organization’s unique environment.
8. Thinking Security Is IT’s Job Alone
When security is siloed within IT, critical gaps often go unnoticed. Marketing might mishandle customer data, HR could fall for phishing scams, and finance might approve fraudulent transactions all without IT ever being involved.
Solution: Build a company-wide security-first culture. Every department should understand its role in protecting sensitive data and systems, with clear communication and shared responsibility.
9. Unmonitored Admin Access and Broad Privileges
Granting users permanent, excessive access “just in case” is a dangerous habit. Privileged accounts are a high-value target for attackers because they provide the keys to your most critical systems.
Best practice: Implement Just-in-Time (JIT) access to grant elevated privileges only when needed and for a limited time. Combine this with role-based access control (RBAC) and regular privilege audits to minimize exposure.
10. Storing Critical Backups in the Same Environment
If your backups are stored on the same network as your primary data, ransomware can encrypt them, leaving you with nothing to restore from. Legacy backup systems may also lack encryption, redundancy, or regular testing, which means they could fail when you need them most.
Modernize with: Offline, encrypted backups stored in a separate environment. Test your backups regularly to ensure they can be restored quickly in the event of an attack.
The Bottom Line: Outdated Practices Are an Open Invitation to Attackers
Outdated cybersecurity practices aren’t just inefficient, they’re dangerous and could cost you and your team. They leave your organization vulnerable to breaches, downtime, and financial loss. The cost of maintaining the status quo is often far higher than the investment required to modernize your defenses.
Cybersecurity is not static. Regularly reviewing and updating your security posture is essential to staying resilient against modern threats.If you’re unsure where to start, a cybersecurity assessment can help identify vulnerabilities and provide a clear roadmap for improvement. Need help upgrading your defenses? Contact Yobihouse today to learn how we can help you retire outdated practices, close security gaps, and stay ahead of evolving threats.
