Data breaches cost not only time but also money. The FBI\u2019s Internet 2020 Internet Crime Report<\/a> found that the total cost of cybercrimes in the US in 2020 reached 2.7 billion, and with an average cost of a data breach for an SBM being $149,000 (2019)<\/a>, small business leaders must take the necessary steps to improve their risk mitigation for cyberattacks.<\/p>\n The first step is to familiarize yourself with the many different types of cyber threats that exist.<\/p>\n There are multiple cybersecurity platforms available for businesses that are easily found with a quick Google search. There are also many options for free cybersecurity<\/a> software that can be upgraded with subscription services. Aside from implementing company-wide cybersecurity software on all company-linked devices, there are some standard practices that any business should be using, whether or not they have access to protective software.<\/p>\n 1. Create a password policy<\/strong> Ensure your employees aren\u2019t saving their passwords in easily accessed folders. Have employees use password-generating programs to increase their passwords’ strength and ensure they don\u2019t use the same password twice. A common way for cyberattacks to find saved passwords on devices is to do a device-wide search for words that are 8, 12, 16, and 24 characters long, meaning that even if employees save their passwords in a nondescript file, it\u2019s easy enough to identify them. This is where secure folders and password protection programs come in handy.<\/p>\n 2. Create a software update policy<\/strong> 3. Education and training<\/strong> <\/p>\n You may not be able to stop cyberattacks from targeting your business, but there\u2019s a lot you can do to thwart them. By taking a proactive approach, educating your employees, and developing up-to-date risk management policies, you can save your business from dealing with damaging costs, harm to your reputation, and potential lawsuits. Take action early, and rest easy knowing you are protected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Content provided by Q4iNetwork<\/a> and partners<\/p>\n Photo by thodonal<\/a><\/p>\n Is your business doing enough to protect itself from cyberattacks? Cyber-attacks on small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have seen a sharp rise in the last few years. A 2019 report by the Ponemon Institute found that cyberattacks increased by over 20% between 2016 and 2019. Data breaches cost not only time but also money. The … Continue reading Protect Your Small Business from Cybersecurity Threats<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":8616,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,19,7],"tags":[14,20,8],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pinnaclehrs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What are the most common forms of cyber-attacks on SBMs?<\/h3>\n
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How can you protect your business?<\/h3>\n
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According to the
\nPonemon report<\/a>, 54% of SMBs have no insight into their employees\u2019 password practices. Terrible password habits equate to seriously increased vulnerability to cyberattacks. Consider implementing
\n1Password<\/a> or other password protection software programs that can be downloaded on every computer associated with your organization. <\/p>\n
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Another common issue that causes device vulnerability is outdated software. Create a policy that requires employees to update their software as soon as a new update is released. Software updates are often released to fix security issues and vulnerabilities, so it’s critical employees don\u2019t wait to update their devices.<\/p>\n
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Finally, organizations must educate and train their employees to identify and protect themselves from potential cyberattacks. Start with including a training session during onboarding to ensure employees start with good practices from the beginning. Hold company-wide training sessions, and ensure you revisit the topic throughout the year.
\n <\/p>\nTake a proactive approach<\/h3>\n
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