Many small businesses believe that they can never become a target of cybercrime. However, all sizes of businesses and organizations are always at a risk, because they have valuable information like credit card numbers, users’ confidential data, etc. All these things are a magnet for hackers!
The thing to remember is: The more digitalized our world is getting, the more sophisticated these cybercriminals are also becoming. So, we have to keep improving our efforts to protect our systems from these hackers regardless of the size of our business.
The Orion Malware
A recent example of cybercrime that jostled the entire USA is the SolarWinds hack.
SolarWinds is a famous software company, and its software Orion is a globally used networking tool. It is used by almost all the major branches of the US government, including the Pentagon and the President’s office. Not only in the US, but this software is also used in the UK’s government departments too and many other organizations in the world.
So, what happened was that somewhere before March 2020, there was a breach at SolarWinds that affected Orion. When Orion’s update was released for all its users during the period of March-June 2020, it contained malware that let the hackers infiltrate the US federal computers and all other users are expected to be compromised too. Experts believe that this malware was unique and extremely complicated, and this attack was so sophisticated and precise that it seemed to be state sponsored.
Now, if a company like SolarWinds can be leveraged by hackers to target the US government offices, what makes you think that your small or large businesses are safe? For all we know, no one is safe in the digital world!
However, that does not mean that one should not take precautions. Some of the ways to at least try to avoid these cyberattacks include the following:
Difficult passcodes and multi-factor authentication:
Without any doubt, this is the first thing that any security company or personnel would tell you. Use a difficult password, not something like ‘orion123.’ Also, use different passcodes for personal and business networking. Even if you run a small business, teach your employees the usage of multi-factor authentication. Also, keep your Wi-Fi network secure and password protected. Teach your employees to exercise all caution while downloading files from the web at all times.
Backup plans and risk management:
Repeated cybercrimes have taught us that our data should be secured with a proper and solid backup, no matter what. Many a time, companies of different sizes become a target of a ransomware attack where the cybercriminals breach important data and ask for a hefty ransom. However, just like in the cases of human abduction, there is no guarantee that the hackers would return the data unharmed after receiving the ransom. So, it is crucial to have all the data secured on a different network altogether.
An important aspect is that when you outsource another company to provide you cybersecurity or for any other purpose, say medical billing, you must look into how they protect their data, how they will protect your data?
Be responsible. Be vigilant!
Small businesses believe that they won’t be affected much by a data breach. That’s not right. All data breaches are harmful and should be avoided at all costs.
Sadly, many small businesses do not even employ a security protocol. And the ones that do, another common mistake is that once they incorporate a security protocol or practice, they forget about it, which makes them vulnerable. It is important to audit those security protocols regularly too.
Also, remember that once you are done with a set of confidential data and no longer need it, you must destroy it and not leave it around for the hackers’ feast.
I’m Ava Paul, an experienced news website author with a special focus on the entertainment section. Over the past five years, I have worked in various positions of media and communication at World Stock Market. My experience has given me extensive knowledge in writing, editing, researching and reporting on stories related to the entertainment industry.
