Cyber attacks are becoming more and more prevalent during the pandemic, causing the largest influx in attacks targeted towards businesses ever, the FBI reported a 300% increase in reported cybercrimes which is the most abrupt volume spike by a landslide. Small businesses are generally at a larger risk than an established corporation seeing as more than half of all small businesses have suffered a breach within the last year. A staggering 43% of all cyberattacks target small businesses, and 60% of all small companies go out of business within just six months of a cyberattack. So it's no secret that your small business is probably not a statistical anomaly, you and your business are a potential future target for these cybercriminals.
With all of the statistics out of the way what are some ways that you can sleep soundly at night knowing that your small business is secured from various cyber threats? Well starting with one of the most common methods, social engineering, which may be overlooked when you're in the process of running your small business. Social engineering can occur in may forms but one easy way that you can cover up some weak spots in your cyber armor should be by using a password manager. A password manager used universally between employees can prevent lazy or re used passwords, which in turn creates another wall that an attacker would have to maneuver around. Another useful tool for small businesses is an email filter that can detect e-mails that carry viruses or blank messages, as well as spot possible phishing websites. Even though these are great and very applicable options that small businesses can use for better overall security, overall common sense is key when it comes to minimizing the looming threat of a social engineering attack. Make sure you and your employees are educated about being cautious and safe when using company servers.
Shifting our focus off of social engineering attacks and onto more technical attack vectors. Vectors like SQL injections or malware attacks require a bit more hands on prevention compared to something like a phishing attack, however there are ways to take that burden out of your hands. Subscription programs like anti-virus programs can subside some of the entry level antics, but they are more frequently used as a personal solution. A more suitable option for small businesses could be to work with a security company. There are a variety of security companies that provide various subscription models to suit different types of businesses. Don't wait until your business is the victim, stay one step ahead of cyber threats and exercise caution as well as common sense when dealing with company information.