Large enterprise and small businesses are at risk from cybersecurity threats. However, a lot of people think that small businesses are too small to be targeted by hackers. But that’s not the case.
As cyberattackers automate their tasks more, it is very easy for them to set eyes on hundreds and even thousands of small businesses all at once. Small businesses tend to have less stringent cyber defences, are less aware of potential online threats, have less resources and time to spend for cybersecurity Wilmington NC. All these make them easy targets for hackers compared to bigger firms.
However, at the same time, they are also lucrative targets. Even the smallest business can provide large sums of cash, or have access to a lot of customer data, which under GDPR or other regulations, they need to protect. Small businesses tend to work with bigger firms, and so they could be used by cybercriminals as a way to target all those companies.
Small business have a lot to lose if they get hit with a cyberattack. A report showed that companies with below 500 employees tend to lose around $2.5 million for every attack. Losing this amount of cash in a cyberbreach is going to be devastating for small businesses, not to mention the damage to the reputation, which comes from getting hit by a cyberattack.
That’s why small business have to be aware of the threats and how you can stop them.
Top 5 Security Threats and How To Avoid Them
Phishing Attacks
The most widespread, damaging, and biggest threat that small businesses face are phishing attacks. They account for about 90% of all the breaches faced by organizations. They have increased by 65% over the past year and they are responsible for more than $12 billion in business losses.
A phishing attack takes place when an attacker pretends to be a well-known and trustworthy contact, and encourages a user to download a malicious file, like, or provide access to confidential information, credentials, or account details.
You need to have a strong email security gateway to prevent phishing emails from getting to the inboxes of your employees. You can also add post delivery protection to secure your small business from phishing attacks. These solutions will let you report phishing emails and then permit admins to get rid of them permanently from the inboxes of all your employees. Security awareness training is the final layer of security against phishing attacks. With this, you can test and train your employees on how to spot phishing attacks. They will also be informed on how to report the incident.
Malware Attacks
The second biggest threat to small businesses is malware attack. It includes different cyber threats like viruses and Trojans. It is a varied term for the malicious code that hackers make to get access to steal data, get access to the network, or to get rid of data on the network. Malware may come from spam emails, connecting to other infected devices or machines, or from malicious website downloads.
These attacks can be very damaging for small businesses since they could cripple machines, which needs expensive fixes or replacements to repair. They could also provide attackers access to data, which could put employees and customers at risk. Small businesses tend to take advantage of people who use their own computer or devices when working, because it helps to save cost and time. But this boosts their chances of facing a malware attack because personal devices are more at risk from malicious downloads.
You can prevent malware attacks by setting up strong technological defenses. Web security is crucial as well as endpoint protection solutions.
Ransomware
Another common type of cyberattack that hits hundreds, and even thousands of businesses every year is ransomware. They have grown more common lately, because they are lucrative types of cyberattacks. Ransomware will encrypt company data and can’t be accessed or used unless the company pays the hacker a ransom. The company will be left with a hard choice. Will they pay the ransom and lose a lot of money or be forced to shut down their services because of data loss.
Business have to set in place strong endpoint protection across all of their devices. These will help stop these ransomware attacks from encrypting data. You should also set up an efficient cloud back-up solution because it could help mitigate data loss. There are many different ways of data back up for businesses, so it is crucial to research the best method for your organization.
Weak Passwords
Another major threat that small businesses face is employees using easily guessed or weak passwords. Several small businesses use several cloud based services that need various accounts. These services may contain financial information and confidential data. You should consider using business password management technologies to make sure that your employees always use strong passwords. This can also help your staff in managing passwords for their accounts, recommending passwords that cannot be cracked easily. You should also implement multifactor authentication technologies.
Insider Threats
The insider threat is caused by actions of current and former employees, associates and business contractors. They could access crucial data about your company that could lead to harmful effects through malice or greed, or just carelessness or ignorance. Insider threats is a growing problem. It can put your customers and employees at risk or cause financial damage to the company. As small businesses grow and have more employees, the insider threats also grow.
In order to block these insider threats, small businesses have to make sure that they impose a strong security awareness culture within the company. This can help prevent insider threats that are caused by ignorance and assist employees to detect early on if an attacker if an attacker is trying to compromise your company’s data.
There are countless threats facing small businesses these days. The way for your company to protect against these online threats is to have a set of security tools in place. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team help improve your company’s cybersecurity.
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Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro
Wilmington, Silver Lake, Sea Breeze, Carolina Beach, Eagle Island, Leland, Wrightsboro
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