When it comes to having necessary security solutions in place, small businesses often find themselves in the situation in which nothing is actually present. According to security specialist Richard Blech, small businesses rarely consider themselves as being targets for hackers and cyber-criminals. However, this is not actually the case. Statistics show that around 62% of all the cyber-attack victims recently reported were medium-sized and small businesses. Basically, while small business owners think they are not the target, in reality, they are the prime target. This is because there are factors that make a small business a perfect attack point, including the following identified by Richard Blech.
Security Loopholes Are Usually Present
Many hackers see the small business as a very simple target because cyber-security systems and security are rarely strong. This can be due to the fact that trained security staff does not exist, there is no investment made in up-to-date cyber-security systems or the infrastructure is just weak. Unfortunately, in most cases the assumptions made by hackers are completely correct. There are many reports that small to medium-sized companies cut security spending in the past year.
Every single security vulnerability should be considered. This does include something really simple like the employees that access materials through non-secured WiFi connections. Such a move can open the company to a really devastating security breach.
Access To Large Valuable Data Amounts
The cyber-criminal is mostly interested in getting data, regardless of source. When the company handles data that is valuable for the cyber-criminal (including personal information, intellectual property and credit card data), it automatically becomes a prime target for the hacker.
In addition, the business’ potential as a victim is not always going to be limited to data. When a company works with a bigger company or is a backdoor for the data of the larger company, the cyber-criminal can try to breach systems in order to have access to the much larger data pool.
Whenever systems are not secured, the partner of the small business is opened for breaches. This would ruin the reputation of a smaller company. Whenever interacting or being a partner with a larger firm, investing in really strong security systems is a necessity.
The Small Business’ Belief Of Not Being A Target
When the small business makes the assumption that they are not targeted for security breaches, it is impossible to be equipped with all that is needed to combat the security threats. Everything is similar to how burglars choose homes to rob. The burglar will not go to the neighborhood that is properly equipped with high-tech security systems, cameras and alarms. They will go to the unarmed homes that have no cameras in place.
On the whole, it is more important than ever to make the necessary investments in systems to become protected from cyber-attacks. The small business does not have all the resources needed and normally rely a lot on reputation when compared with larger businesses. This makes it really hard for the company to get back if a breach happens.
