Considering the fact that even enormous companies like Google and Facebook became victims of cyberattacks, thus, leading the former to almost shut down their platform and the latter resulting in an almost leak of personal information of nearly 50 million users, it’s more important than ever for small businesses like yours to safeguard your personal data from possible breaches. Aside from the fines and fees that could put you out of business, the loss in customer trust, not to mention the embarrassment, after a breach can lead to series levels of churn that you are not ready to handle. To protect your small business from falling prey to cyber attacks, follow the steps below:
Know when you’re a target
The problem with small business owners is their being too complacent accompanied by their misguided thinking that hackers won’t be interested in them because they’re too small. What they do not know is that hackers are no longer limited to extremely skillful individuals. With the presence of the internet, powerful hacking tools and special software can be accessible to anyone with a couple of hundred dollars and a few hours to spare. In fact, 58% of malware attack victims are small businesses. Hackers may not be able to completely penetrate into the network of large tech companies or financial institutions, but it’s easy for them to attack small businesses or steal customer information and auction it on the dark web. So, be vigilant as you’re one of the possible targets. Recognize this fact so you can prepare accordingly.
Do your due diligence in security practices
According to a survey from Kaspersky, 86% of information security officers describe data breaches as inevitable, claiming that you should expect to be attacked by hackers at some point. Considering this, it is thus imperative for you to secure a system that will handle the consequences of cyber-attacks quickly and effectively in order to protect your business and customers. You should integrate a password policy and a security monitoring policy, conduct firewall updates, perform regular penetration testing, and build an incident response plan. While nothing will make you completely inconspicuous from hackers, you can still exert some practical measures that are within your budget as a small business. By showing your customers that you have performed the right measures to safeguard them, they will be more lenient and even understanding should a breach occur. But if you choose to leave your cybersecurity strategy to fate without doing anything, then they’ll abandon you since they’re within their rights to do so considering your actions.
Train your employees continuously
Training your employees is one of your topmost priorities in implementing a robust cybersecurity strategy. Remember that your employees are the most vulnerable elements of your business since they are human and are, therefore, prone to making mistakes and being fooled. Hence, it is crucial to teach and train them in being more vigilant, particularly about anything that involves the use of the internet such as email. In addition, you should also train them on how to recognize phishing attempts and how to delete images that are suspicious. Educate them in regularly updating their web browsers and operating systems to maintain the latest security software. You can also invest in a good spam filter to reduce their likelihood of failure.
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