Two thirds (66%) of companies with fewer than 1,000 employees have experienced a cyberattack, and 63% have experienced a breach. These statistics make it clear all businesses need a solid cybersecurity strategy. Be it ransomware, DDoS (distributed denial of service), phishing or some other threat, there is no shortage of cyber threats targeted at small businesses.

Small and medium-sized businesses don’t have the deep pockets that enterprise organizations do.

So why are they such a target for hackers?  

1. Your valuable data

Hackers know that even a smaller company has data that’s easy to offload for a profit on the Dark Web such as medical records, credit card information, Social Security numbers, bank account credentials or proprietary business information. Cybercriminals are always trying to come up with new ways to steal this data. They either use it themselves to get into bank accounts and make fraudulent purchases or sell it to other criminals who will use it.

2. Your computing power

Sometimes cyber hackers are interested only in using your company’s computers, and enlisting them into an army of bots to perpetrate massive DDoS attacks. DDoS works by artificially generating enormous amounts of web traffic to disrupt service to a company or group of companies. The hijacked bots help generate the disruptive traffic.

3. Your links to the big fish

Today’s businesses are digitally connected to each other to complete transactions, manage supply chains and share information. Since larger companies presumably (although not necessarily) are tougher to penetrate, hackers target smaller businesses as a way to get into the systems of large companies. This is what happened in the Target breach.  https://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/02/target-hackers-broke-in-via-hvac-company/

4. Your cash, pure and simple

Hackers target small businesses or any other company primarily for profit. Sure, some attacks are about disruption, as is the case with DDoS, but usually, the motive is to make money. This explains why ransomware is such a popular method of attack. It often succeeds, generating revenue for attackers. And as long as an attack method proves lucrative, hackers will keep using it.

7 of the Most Current Threats

Enterprise organizations have entire teams devoted to handling cybersecurity.  For small and medium sized businesses someone who likely wears many other hats in the day-to-day operations of the business are handling cybersecurity. That makes these businesses particularly vulnerable to hackers.

A cybercriminal only needs to be right once

To achieve peace of mind in the modern threat landscape, small and medium sized business owners need to have a solid security strategy in place. That kind of preparedness starts with a solid understanding of the current threats:

Phishing

Often providing a gateway for ransomware or other infections, phishing typically works by tricking users into clicking an email attachment or URL containing a virus. Phishing has become more and more sophisticated, and it can be incredibly difficult to spot a fake message as hackers target specific individuals with messages they can’t resist.

Ransomware

Hackers use a wide range of methods to target businesses, ransomware being one of the most common. Ransomware locks up computers and encrypts data, holding it hostage. For owners to regain access to their data, they have to pay ransom to a hacker who then releases a decryption key.

Malvertising

Short for “malware advertising,” this consists of delivering malware to a network after a user clicks on an apparently legitimate ad. Identifying malvertising isn’t easy because of the way it’s disguised, but some advanced malware detection systems are getting better at it.

Clickjacking

Similar to malvertising, this practice involves hiding hyperlinks to compromised webpages in legitimate website links. Users are then asked to reveal personal data that hackers steal for nefarious purposes.

Drive-by-downloads

This dirty trick downloads malware into networks, often without users realizing what is happening. Sometimes users have to respond to a pop-up window for the download to occur but other times all you have to do is unwittingly visit a compromised website.

Software vulnerabilities

Hackers exploit vulnerabilities in different web platforms and tools will deliver the  malware. Falling behind on updates can leave systems particularly vulnerable.

Any organization that neglects cybersecurity is taking a huge risk 

And as businesses grow more and more interconnected, those risks extend to customers, partners, and suppliers.

To ensure peace of mind and protect against costly malware, ransomware, and bots, all businesses need to implement cybersecurity measures that include anti-virus programs, firewalls, and network security solutions that proactively protect all devices connected to your network.