Small businesses are also ideal targets for cybercrime. Every day we hear on the news that another big company became the victim of the Ransomware attacks. The recent victim was Accenture, a major internet security company. The hackers stole 6 TB Database and demanded $50,000,000 ransom for it.

When they hear this type of news, the small business owners and executives get worried and think of what they should do to protect their businesses against cybercrime. Although some have the mindset of “This will not happen to us because we are too small”. This is far from the truth. Cybercriminals are opportunists, and they take advantage of the weakest links. 

Cyberthreats are on the rise

No matter the size of the business, small businesses should also take precautions against cybercrime. And in the majority of cases, they use Bots that send an email with links or bad attachments to many users. Cyberthreats, are on the rise in 2021. Ransomware is one of the top three trends in cyber threats during the first semester of 2021. Ransomware is likely to remain one of the top threats to businesses globally. The fact is that many of the victims do not reveal exactly how their system was infiltrated. This is for many reasons, including security and saving face. But there are only a certain number of ways that a business can get into trouble with hacking. In this blog, we will try to address them all.

We have written various blogs indicating what strategies and steps small businesses should take to minimize or eliminate cyber threats – cybercrime. But irrespective of what measures you take, you could still become a victim of a ransomware attack or get into trouble with hacking.  Therefore, your plan should include steps and procedures to recover and get your operation up and running as soon as possible to minimize the cost of downtime.    

Steps against cyberthreats

But the chance of becoming a victim is minimized if the following basic steps are taken to defend yourself against cyberthreats: 

1. Partner with a reliable and knowledgeable IT company that provides monitoring of your network and is responsible for your data security and patch management.  
2. Moreover, make sure you have password policies in place. Password should be complex, changed regularly, and not used for different accounts. 
3. Ensure you have a safe infrastructure and reliable routers from reputable companies such as Sonicwall, Fortinet, Cisco, Etc., that are up-to-date. Secure servers’ physical location. Use VPN for remote users.
4. Wi-Fi and the Internet of things (IoT) should be with password protection and use high-level encryption. 
5. Use two-factor authentications wherever possible. Advanced threat protection modules from Microsoft, Mobile device management security for laptops and phones.
6. Backup and Disaster Recovery. Having an online backup that takes a regular snapshot of your data and operating system retrieval (also known as an image restore that restores the entire server.) If there is a hero in case of a ransomware attack or data loss for any reason, it is your backup system. Your backup should be tested regularly, and data should be restored, and the integrity of your data backup should be checked regularly as well.  
7. Employee awareness training. This is the most important step equal to having a good backup system. Your employees are the weakest link. They should get training on a regular basis on how to avoid phishing scams and other cyber threats. If your business must comply with certain regulations such as HIPAA, these pieces of training are mandatory. Nowadays, many companies provide this type of training as videos, infographics, drills, and other easy-to-understand and entertaining demonstrations. 
8. Dark web monitoring – many of your personal information, such as (name, address, emails, password, etc.) can be a target on the Dark Web. Dark Web is the World Wide Web that is only accessible using special software, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable. Hackers purchase and use this information to send you phishing emails or access your email or hack your server.   
9. Cyber Security Insurance should be considered as there is no 100% foolproof way to ensure that you will not become a victim of a cybercrime. These insurance policies have become more affordable, and they are worth considering. It may add a little bit to your overall insurance premium. 

Working with trusted advisors

As you can see, implementing all these steps require commitments from the top and may seem overwhelming. Thus, it is advisable to work with an IT support company that can act as your trusted advisor. 

For over 33 years, we have supported and protected our clients’ data by providing 24×7 monitoring and support. In addition, our unlimited helpdesk can provide your staff with the peace of mind that they need to be productive. We have authorized partners with:

• Microsoft
• Symantec
• Bitdefender
• Datto
• Acronis
• Veritas
• Barracuda
• Sonicwall
• Cisco, and many more software and hardware Behemoths to bring you the best solutions that fit your need and budget. 

Try our comprehensive, worry-free IT support that lets you focus on your business.