Why Hackers are Attacking Small Businesses

Small businesses are an increasingly tempting target for hackers. Cyber attacks can take many forms and it doesn’t require sophisticated methods to gain access to personally identifiable information or plant ransomware on a computer system, allowing it to roam through servers and files at will. A full 43 percent of all cyber attacks are directed toward small businesses.

The attacks are often stepping stones toward greater payoffs in terms of cash and information in the future. In many situations, a breach is often the result of individuals hacking a third-party company and absconding with information by working backward through the system to other targets. It’s important that small businesses maintain their own security systems and only conduct commerce with other businesses that take their online security seriously.

Resources

A simple failure to keep computer systems updated, even with basic security software, is a major problem for smaller businesses. Owners don’t have the human resources for a dedicated IT or cyber security specialist. Cyber security technology is also expensive. Owners of small businesses don’t have the financial resources to employ state-of-the-art technology. Even when companies have the funds to make systems stronger, they often don’t do so citing the expense as an excuse.

Employee Training

An essential facet of avoiding attacks by cyber criminals is having a staff that’s trained in identifying methods that hackers use to compromise computer systems and company-owned mobile devices. A single email or attachment from a seemingly familiar business associate can compromise a company’s entire computer system. If personally identifiable information is accessed, a breach can result in serious fines for the business owner and loss of reputation.

Fewer Safeguards

Once attacked, small businesses often find themselves the recipient of another attack within weeks or even months of the first one. Even after a business has been breached, the owners often don’t update, upgrade or enhance their digital protection in the mistaken belief that the hackers got everything they wanted, when instead they were testing the waters and the ease with which they can gain access.

Crime of Opportunity

Hackers will attempt to breach multiple systems, and in many cases, cyber theft is an opportunistic crime. Criminals will target businesses that have displayed a disregard for updating cyber security measures, along with few or poorly trained staff.

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The Sena Group
6501 Congress Ave., Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33487