Are you the owner of a small company? If the answer is yes and you think no cyber attack will ever affect you, think again. In fact, there’s a higher risk of getting into trouble with hackers than if you were a big business, or even a medium-sized one. According to recent reports, more than 40% of cyber attacks are aimed at companies that employ under 500 people. A more worrisome study says that one in five small businesses are targeted by hackers. More often than not, these companies have to close down because their security plans are nonexistent or there are too few of them to actually ensure complete protection.
Cybersecurity is the most important way to make sure your business isn’t put in danger by malware attacks. Especially when the people behind them show no signs of backing down. Thus, putting strong security measures in place is, like we said, essential if you don’t want to lose your life’s work and your clients’ trust. After all, the latter expect their sensitive data to be protected at all costs. When they see that that’s not the case, your clients will turn to other companies instead.
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Protect Your Small Company From Cyber Attacks
To prevent that from happening, we want to tell you how to protect your small company from cyber attacks.
1. Create as many backups as possible
A backup is incredibly important if you want to keep sensitive data safe from cyber threats. People who create malicious software and send it to damaged devices, particularly the ones used by employees from a small business, are relentless. By creating several backups, you can sleep well at night knowing that those important files, presentations, and whatnot won’t be ruined forever in case malware reaches them.
2. Use the most powerful antivirus software
In this day and age, relying on a strong security solution marks the difference between keeping your company o the course or shutting it down completely. Remember to choose the one made to protect a computer from every type of malware ever created. The antivirus software you end up with needs to locate and then get you rid of spam, spyware, Trojan horses, phishing attempts, and so much more. After you settle on the best option for your business, ensure that regular updates are performed.
3. Educate your employees
The people who work for you need to know that clicking on random links received via their work email is a no-no. It’s the same if they connect to networks that don’t use a strong password. These are only two of the most dangerous practices you must stop from happening. How can it be done? You could, for example, organize training or set up meetings where security professionals advise employees on safe practices at work.
Another idea would be to carry security policies and procedures through.
4. Payment terminals should use different networks
Using the same network for a payment terminal is a practice that should be stopped. Never ever tie it to your general store network. Instead, keep these two separate, because that way only a few authorized employees will have access to them. By doing that, the computers on your network will keep their sensitive content intact in the face of cyberattacks.
5. Use cybersecurity insurance
We insure our cars, houses, and so on, so why shouldn’t we do the same for our business? Cyber security insurance helps a lot in case of a cyber threat. How? If a malware attack happens, your company will be held responsible. A lawsuit will follow, so you’ll have to pay quite a lot of money as compensation. With cyber security insurance at hand, you make sure every legal cost is fully covered.
6. Change passwords regularly
Many of us use the same password for more than a year on all our devices, social platforms, and so on. Employees in small companies do the same, hence a higher risk of cyberattacks. Change the passwords every three months and remember to create very strong ones each time you do that. The most secure passwords are made of 8-16 characters that contain special characters, numbers, and letters. If you know you don’t have a good memory, a password manager will make things easier for you.
Cyber attacks are ever-present and they’re becoming a constant in every device owner’s life. Small companies are some of the most favorite targets for hackers looking to steal sensitive files and then ask for large sums of money as a ransom. Find out how to protect your small company from cyber attacks by taking a look at our most recent post!
