Massive cyberattacks make headlines almost every year. Corporate giants like the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, WhatsApp, and Microsoft’s Visual Studio were all victims of data breaches in 2019. However, the fact that SMBs face cyberattacks a lot more frequently often gets overlooked.
Studies have shown that nearly 43% of all cyberattacks in 2019 targeted small businesses. Despite the looming threat, most SMBs put cyber security measures on the back burner.
What’s At Risk?
Industry experts believe that it isn’t a matter of “if” a data breach will occur, but “when.” While small businesses may not be the most desired target, the unfortunate truth is that they’re easy targets. What’s worse is that 83% of small businesses are financially weak and are unable to recover from data breach losses. An average cost of a data breach may cost around $38,000, which is a hefty amount to shell out, especially when you don’t have enough capital to begin with. For small businesses, losing this kind of money may mean losing the business altogether.
The “fly below the radar” strategy will no longer work as a security blanket for small businesses. The good news is that CyberHunter offers all-encompassing network security packages for SMBs that allows them to stay on top of network security vulnerabilities and minimize damages from cyber threats while focusing on growing their business.
Why Are Small Businesses Attacked?
Here’s why businesses with weak cyber security are frequent victims of cyberattacks:
They Offer A Gateway Into Larger Organizations
Cyber criminals know that small scale businesses have direct or indirect relations with larger organizations, which is why they use them as hop-off points or decoys for cyberattacks.
In this scenario, the hacker compromises the small business’s website by attacking their vulnerabilities, and uses it as a jump point to attack larger targets. Depending on the resulting damage, small businesses may be held liable for breach and may even be presented as alliances in criminal investigations.
They Fail To Set Up Protective Barriers
In the age of e-commerce, many small businesses use their sites to store lead lists and sensitive information like:
- Credit card credentials
- Intellectual property
- Personal information about vendors, employees, and/or customers.
Since these sites most likely have minimal defenses and technical ability, they’re exceedingly vulnerable and easy targets. The result?
- Financial losses from data theft
- Financial losses caused by business disruption
- High costs to get rid of threats in the network
- Permanent damage to reputation after being compromised
Invest In CyberHunter Security Solutions For Small Businesses
While there is no such thing as ‘perfect security,’ the aim of implementing defensive network security protection is to reduce threat risk by minimizing attack potential. Find out more about our network security package’s threat and network breach detection services, external network vulnerability scanning, internal vulnerability assessments, and more.
We also offer cyber threat hunting, penetration testing, and network security audit services. Get in touch with us to book a discovery meeting or request a quote for our services today.
