YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TROUBLE BELIEVING THIS POST.
Most small businesses don’t believe it. Which is exactly why this post is necessary.
In fact, if I didn’t see it first hand, I wouldn’t believe it either…
This post isn’t based on a question that was sent in by anyone. It’s based on observations that we have made over the years regarding cyberattacks. Small businesses owners know that the threats are out there. There have been many well-publicized attacks recently.
So why the lack of concern?
It’s based on the naive notion of small business owners, that their business is too “small potatoes” to be hacked or a victim of a cyber attack. Small business owners believe that the hackers will bypass them for the larger businesses, and the bigger potential cash haul. Not so. Larger businesses tend to have up-to-date and heightened cyber-security, because of the larger cache of information, etc. According to a poll by Symantec, half of small businesses polled, reported believe that they are not targeted specifically “because they are a small business and therefore are not a target for cyberattacks”.
In fact, according to Symantec.cloud, “since the beginning of 2012, 40% of targeted attacks have been directed toward small businesses, compared to only 28% that have been directed toward large enterprises. Symantec states that in 2011, they blocked more than 5.5 billion attacks, an increase of 81% over 2010. Google recently revealed that its security team finds approximately 9,500 new malicious websites every day. Small businesses are gravely underestimating their risk!
Several of our customers have had up to a few hundred attempted data hacks in a single day! By putting the appropriate measures in place, we helped to block and eliminate these hack attempts.
So what can small business owners do to stay safe from Internet-based threats such as malware, viruses, etc? Educate employees about Internet safety, train them to be wary of email attachments and links from unknown sources. Keep your security software up-to-date. Use secure (hard to crack), unique passwords. Make sure you back up your website, computer network, and information.
According to Symantec, 61% of small business owners don’t have a written plan of what they would do, if they fell victim to a cyber attack. 1 in 10 small businesses have suffered from a data hack. So, when it does happen, they don’t have a clue of where to start. What if, despite all efforts, your business gets hit by a cyberattack? What steps should you take? Encourage employees to inform you immediately, if they spot a virus or malware, rather than trying to fix it themselves. Call an IT provider that is experienced in backup and disaster recovery.
WE CAN HELP! If you’re worried about the cyber-security of your business, or have questions about cyberattacks, please contact us at 204-800-3165, or at helpdesk.ca.
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