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If you are like many other small business owners, you may consider your business too small and insignificant to be targeted by a big-time cybercriminal. However, it has been reported by several experts that small businesses are at an equal and even greater risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime.
Instances of cybercrime can result in serious damage to your reputation, it may result in you losing assets, and incurring significant expenses trying to repair the damage that has occurred. In some cases, these types of attacks can be the difference in earning a profit or closing your doors.
The question is – what can you do?
The first step is to get to know some of the most common threats. You can also implement the use of Network Monitoring Software. But first, read the information here to ensure you are informed and aware of what possible threats your business may be vulnerable to.
Internal Attacks
This should not be that big of a surprise. An internal attack is one of the main cybersecurity threats that currently faces all types of small and startup businesses. In most cases, it is the result of one “rogue” employee – particularly the ones with access to your network or sensitive information – to cause some real and serious issues. There are some that have linked the Sony Pictures hack in 2014 was the result of an insider attack.
If you want to reduce the likelihood of an insider threat or attack, then you have to identify any privileged accounts. A privileged account is one that could seriously impact your business or have access to your internal systems. The next step is to terminate the ones that aren’t being used or that are linked to a worker who is no longer employed.
You can also begin to use programs that track what goes on with this account. This ensures a fast response if any type of nefarious activity is noticed.
Phishing
While you likely encounter warnings about this issue from cybersecurity professionals all the time, there are still people who are becoming victims to phishing every day. Due to the fact that cybercrime is now pretty well funded, phishing is still considered one of the most effective and potentially damaging methods that are used by a criminal to get malware into your network.
A particularly serious issue is referred to as spear phishing. This is a more targeted type of phishing that makes a phishing email look like it has come from a known person. This makes it all the more dangerous.
If you want to reduce the risk of losses due to phishing, along with other types of ransomware, then you have to make sure that your employees are well-aware of the dangers and that they understand how to identify this type of email. You also need to have a secure offsite backup of your most important data – in fact, having one for all your data is highly recommended. With ransomware, your files are lost – indefinitely. With a strong backup in place, you don’t have to worry about this type of serious loss.
Protecting Your Biggest Business Asset – Information
There are reports that some businesses that experience any type of cyber threat or attack are never able to recover, and they are forced to close their doors – for good. You can avoid facing this same fate by taking the proper steps to safeguard your business and your information. By doing this, you can have peace of mind that you will not be another victim of a cyber hacker.
