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Cyber-attacks and cybercrimes have increased tenfold in the digital world. Small businesses are targeted just as much as large enterprises, if not more, but their lack of awareness and resources adds to their plight.
Small businesses believe they are secured from cyber-attacks as their business is too small to target and there is little gain for the attacker. Unfortunately, the sheer number of small businesses and their lack of technological defenses make them easy prey. Not all small businesses invest in surveillance cameras, multilayer protection, and cybersecurity training. This leads to huge losses.
Such attacks can be avoided if the company invests in proper security technologies. A dedicated security suite such as Bitdefender Small Office Security protects client information and financial resources. Apart from security, awareness must be spread, and training must be provided to employees.
Let us explore the cybersecurity risks that small businesses should be wary of:
Risk of Ransomware
This is one of the most common types of attack and is perceivably easier to achieve. The attacker encrypts the data belonging to the company so that they cannot access it anymore. The attacker then asks for a certain amount (yes, ransom!) to provide the key to unlock the data.
The company suffers a huge blow because the data is crucial for businesses, so they are left with no option but to pay the amount of money to get the data back.
To protect your data from ransomware, make sure all your devices have endpoint encryption. Bitdefender provides multi-layer ransomware protection to keep sensitive data safe. Another approach is to back up data in the cloud, which can be retrieved without paying ransom in case of such attacks.
Phishing
Can you believe phishing accounts for a $12 billion loss to businesses in a year? Do you still think that you are secure?
Phishing is the art of enticing the employee to click on a malicious link, email, or give sensitive information. Phishing involves social engineering which is when a person pretends to be a trusted contact and builds good relations with an employee who may have confidential information. Later, the attacker entices the employee to give up his passwords or sensitive data.
The way to tackle phishing is by having a strong email security getaway to combat phishing emails. However, to gain control of the social aspect and make employees more aware security awareness training must be held. Employees must not be allowed to access company data and devices from home or in another person’s presence.
Malware/Malicious
Viruses and Trojans that gain access, steal data or destroy the data are malware attacks. The attack is initiated by malicious website downloads, emails, or infected devices.
The destroyed devices utilize a huge amount of money to fix which can cripple the business, if recurrent. Endpoint encryption can protect against malicious emails. Endpoint Protection protects devices from malicious downloads and gives the admin the power to control the central control panel and manage devices and make sure all users’ security is updated.
DDoS attacks
The attack involves messages and requests from multiple sources that flood your web server. This can lead to a slow server or altogether website crash and malfunction. It cannot just affect your data but also the service you provide to your consumer resulting in a loss of revenue.
Passwords
Do not use weak or easily guessed passwords for your accounts! Do not use the same password for various accounts either.
Your business account contains various sensitive financial information that can be compromised due to weak passwords. Weak, common, and easy passwords can be easily hacked into. Sometimes, cybercriminals attack small businesses that work with larger companies to reach those companies. The risk posed due to weak passwords can be eradicated by making the employees aware.
Additionally, business password management technology should be promoted among employees and multi-factor authentication should be set up to avoid risks.
Another way to secure your business information is to have your staff utilize an authentication scheme, such as single sign-on. Single sign-on (SSO) is an authentication process that allows users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials. This can be a useful tool for small businesses, which often have limited resources and may not have the staff or budget to dedicate to managing multiple sets of login information.
Insider Threat
Businesses need to manage the data exposed to their employees and not provide any information the employees do not require. An employee can access and leak sensitive data or use it for his own benefit.
Awareness among employees and training to understand attacker behavior and compromise can go a long way. Small businesses deal with a huge amount of money and have a lot of customer data that they are required to protect. Cyber-attacks not only deprive you of your hard-earned money but also tarnishes your well-maintained reputation.
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