Your Small Business is Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

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The statistics are alarming: 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses, costing them more than $2.2 million a year. Not only that, but cyber attacks cause 60% of small business victims to shut down within six months of an attack. Small businesses have a higher risk for attacks because they have low levels of security in place compared with large businesses. They often lack security because it can be expensive to put into place and track. But the consequences show that small businesses need security to prevent cyber attack disasters. And, customers look for proof of security when they visit your website. Many security measures are affordable and when they become routine, they are easy to follow for all employees. Learning, applying, tracking and staying current on security issues will bring you peace of mind and make your business attractive to customers.

Common Types of Cyber Attacks

Website Attacks

Cyber criminals attack your website to gain access to sensitive data about your business and your customers.  These include phishing, which copies your website and lures customers into the fake one, enabling them to steal customer financial and personal information. Viruses can give criminals access to website files that include sensitive business or customer information. Non-targeted attacks take advantage of vulnerable plug-in software, content management software or templates to gain access to information. Cyber criminals sell website information easily on the dark web. Typical targets include customer social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and medical records, or proprietary business information.

Email Attacks

Email phishing attacks are common for small businesses. An article by Small Business Trends says, “83% of organizations faced a successful phishing attack (email-based) in 2021.” This alarming statistic shows the importance of training employees on how to identify phishing emails. With the popularity of remote working locations, email phishing attacks are more common than ever. These social engineering scams take advantage of workers who unknowingly open phishing emails, respond to caller ID spoofing or baiting attempts.

Preventing Cyber Attacks

Employers

Take action to prevent cyber attacks from causing damage to your business by making your website as secure as possible.

  • Use different passwords for each account/profile.
  • Use multi-factor authentication for increased security.
  • Restrict access to only those employees who need it.
  • Use antivirus software.
  • Keep social network profiles private and separate from personal profiles.
  • Keep all security, operating system and web browser software updated.
  • Use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for your website to protect the customer data you gather.
  • Automate data backups.
  • Use an encrypted cloud storage for an extra layer of security.
  • Review network alerts for suspicious activity regularly.

Employees

Train employees to take precautions with emails, including:

  • With emails, look carefully at the sender’s email address to make sure they are who they say they are.
  • Do not include passwords, personal information or financial information in email responses.
  • Do not open an email attachment or download files unless you are certain who they are from.
  • If a customer writes to request a change in email address, address or phone, call them on the phone number you already have to verify that the request is legitimate.
  • Create different passwords for different accounts.
  • Use safe practices to protect customer and supplier information.
  • If working at home, be sure all personal emails are legitimate and be careful while browsing the web.

Your website designer can build security applications into your website and recommend additional security software and practices.  Ask about anti-virus software, firewalls and security tracking software to provide you with regular reports. Schedule training sessions for all new employees and update sessions for all employees regularly. Wheaton Website Services works closely with small businesses to develop secure websites. Contact us to get started on designing and building a beautiful website that will give you and your customers peace of mind.

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