Most Small to Mid-size businesses have privacy and security concerns

Privacy and security online continue to be major issues for small to medium size businesses in America. There seems to be a constant supply of news stories involving high-profile, high-impact criminal cyber activity. Often, the data breaches that we hear about occur at large businesses or global organizations. This leads many people to think that it’s only those big companies who are at risk of being attacked. They incorrectly assume that today’s cybercriminal is always looking for a giant financial payout or a huge cache of personal data. But the reality is that small and mid-size businesses (SMB) are at greater risk.

In their 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon found that 58% of all cyberattacks target small businesses. While it is true that the ultimate reward might not be as high as from a multinational organization, cybercriminals go after SMBs because they are easier to penetrate.

Gaining access to a multinational organization can be difficult. Larger organizations have the budget and the obvious need to protect their networks. When you collect personal data from around the globe or generate billions in revenue, you dedicate time and resources to protecting yourself. SMBs, on the other hand, don’t always focus on cybersecurity the way they should. And this is what cybercriminals are counting on.

Regardless of the size of your business, cybercriminals who want to access your network will take advantage of any vulnerable attack surface. A single unprotected or improperly secured edge device can be all they need to access an entire system.

According to the Verizon Report, cyberattacks can occur in several different ways. 48% of last year’s breaches featured hacking while 30% included malware. Other less prevalent but still dangerous methods of attack were social attacks, privilege misuse or physical breaches.

A comprehensive approach to security is crucial for keeping cybercriminals at bay. Unfortunately, when it comes to the cybersecurity of physical security systems, many smaller organizations have a relatively haphazard approach. They roll out disparate solutions for access control and video surveillance which puts them at greater risk. And, as they grow or evolve, they add new cameras or technology as and when they can find the resources rather than developing a strategic plan to upgrade their system. This means that they may not be aware of potential points of attack on their evolving physical security network.

In addition, SMBs don’t always have a clear cybersecurity strategy that they communicate to every member of their team. The Verizon Report states that nearly one-fifth of system breaches occur because of human error. This can happen when an employee clicks on the wrong link or doesn’t adequately secure a device. Like any organization, an SMB can mitigate these errors through training and organization-wide awareness.

This takes a commitment from senior executives as well as an understanding of what is at risk. Unfortunately, SMBs tend to think that, because they aren’t dealing in billions of dollars, cybercriminals won’t bother attacking their networks. While they may believe they have less to lose to a cyberattack than these organizations, they are at a greater risk that their business might not survive the fallout or clean-up.

We need to accept we haven’t learned from past mistakes. We need to harness the knowledge and experience of small- and medium businesses. We need to accept that cyber protection can only be effective if it is personalized for the recipient. Techcess CyberSecurity Group want to be the ‘go-to’ platform for small- and medium businesses to source their cyber protection packages and for suppliers to market their products. Collaboration is the way forward, sign up and help us do that! Or Speak to a support team member on the phone now! Phone: 1-833-TXCYBER | 1-833-892-9237