After two major ransomware attacks swept the globe and affected numerous large organizations, many companies started re-thinking their cybersecurity protection policies. However, many small businesses still go unprotected – and they could become a target of a ransomware attack any time, since such attacks will be increasing in intensity and sophistication.
Small business owners and CEOs should focus on cultivating the mindset in their company that – instead of making people paranoid for no reason – builds the culture of cybersecurity and cautious approach to all online activities.
Keeping an organisation safe from cyber attacks means complete collaboration of all staff members – and everyone needs to know the do’s and don’ts of online behaviour.
A small business owner may be too busy dealing with everyday hassles of their company – such as payroll, demanding clients and making sales. However, if cybersecurity is not made a priority, the company may experience significant losses.
According to security firm ThreatMetrix, cybercrime attacks went up by 50% in all segments in 2016, which is a worrisome trend.
Small businesses are considered to be an especially easy prey for hackers: at least 60% of small companies in the US experienced at least one cyber attack in the past year.
Besides targeted cybercrime, small companies suffer from malware, rogue software, unprotected Wi-Fi and other worrisome threats.
For example, an employee may open an email attachment that is infected with a virus and spread it across the network. In phishing attacks, a small business owner or their employees can get a fake email tricking them into revealing their personal information. In password attacks, a hacker could try to hack the system by trying to guess password combinations. And in ransomware attacks, hackers may ask for ransom in exchange for unlocking the company’s data.