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An analysis of Cyber Threats for Small Businesses

67% of IT professionals are not confident they are able to protect their company from cyber threats

By DavidPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
An analysis of Cyber Threats for Small Businesses
Photo by Leon on Unsplash

Small businesses are under constant hacking threats. These small businesses are often overlooked by hackers because they do not have the security measures in place to protect themselves.

Small businesses are targeted because they have less protection, which is why it is vital to stay aware of cyber-attacks and find ways to protect oneself from them.

A new study by the Ponemon Institute found that 67% of IT professionals are not confident they are able to protect their company from cyber threats. This is a serious problem, especially considering the growing number of cyber attacks.

Cyber security has become nearly impossible to keep up with. The number of new vulnerabilities discovered every year is increasing very fast. And these numbers are only going to keep climbing as time goes on. With more and more vulnerabilities, it becomes harder and harder for companies to stay secure.

Cyber Threats are on the Rise and You Should be Worried

The world is facing a large-scale cybersecurity crisis. Cyberattacks are not only on the rise but also becoming more sophisticated and dangerous for our society.

By Michael Geiger on Unsplash

For instance, take a look at the recent global malware attack, WannaCry. It crippled hospitals, schools, and businesses across the world and even forced Britain's National Health Service to shut down its services. Not to mention that it was able to exploit Windows XP vulnerabilities that Microsoft had stopped providing security updates for in 2014.

Learn how to protect your small business from cyber threats

In the 21st century, cyber threats have become a big issue for every company. Cyber criminals are constantly on the lookout for new ways to hijack your data and hacking into your systems. They could steal your customers’ information like credit card numbers or get access to confidential business information.

By Austin Distel on Unsplash

The first step you need to take in order to protect your small business from cyber threats is educating yourself and your employees about the dangers of these attacks and how they can be avoided. You need to make sure that you have the latest security software on all of your devices and computers that are connected with the internet.

Protecting your small business from cyber threats is not as hard as you may think. A few steps in order to protect your small business from cyber threats are:

  • Update all software and operating systems regularly.
  • Perform regular system backups and test them.
  • Use strong passwords for all accounts with a password manager.
  • Disable web browser plugins that are not needed.
  • Keep software updated on your computer to prevent known vulnerabilities from being exploited.

What to do if you are attacked?

If you are attacked then next step depends on the type of attack and your resources. But you have to act carefully to recover your data, even some times you have to pat the ransom, because there is no other way to recover data from a ransomware attack if you have not taken backup of your data.

Small businesses need to be aware of the potential risks of cyberattacks, and take the necessary measures to protect themselves. The best way to recover from a cyberattack is to make sure that you have a backup of all the important data.

How are you safeguarding your company from cyber threats?

There are some steps that you can take in order to stay safe from cyber threats like investing in a cybersecurity partner or installing an advanced threat protection solution for your business's network and devices. Here is good resource related to security software for businesses with a list of best business antivirus software for small / medium enterprises and endpoint protection for medium / large enterprises.

It's more important than ever that small businesses have a backup plan for their data. It might not seem like it could be a big deal, but if the business relies heavily on their data-keeping systems, they won't be able to operate without one.

The problem is that most small businesses don't invest in backups because they are either unaware of how crucial it is or think they don't need it. The lack of backup planning puts these businesses at risk for losing a significant amount of data and potentially going out of business. Here is a list of best data backup software which can help you to choose.

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