How to Protect a Small Business From Cybercrime in 2021
For small businesses, cybersecurity is becoming more crucial than ever. With smaller businesses now the biggest target for hackers and cybercriminals, tightening security and understanding the most important cybersecurity trends is now essential for any small business owner who is looking to minimize the risk and keep their business safe from this very real threat. Any business of any size could become a cybercrime target, which is why understanding and implementing these important trends could save your company.
Firewalls:
A firewall is either hardware or software that is used as the first line of defense against malware and other potentially malicious software and risks on your company’s computers and other devices. Setting up a firewall can be done easily even if you do not have a lot of tech experience and it is one of the first strategies that is recommended by the experts for keeping your small business safe from cybercrime. It provides a barrier between your company and hackers to keep cyber criminals away from accessing your network and devices.
Check All Senders:
Phishing attacks are one of the most common attacks on small businesses, and often target unsuspecting employees who do not realize that they are giving sensitive information away to a hacker. Phishing attacks can come in many different shapes and forms including emails that ask for a reply with login details or malicious links that when clicked on, allow the hacker access to the computer or record keystrokes so that they can get potentially sensitive information. It’s important that everybody in your small business understands the importance of checking and verifying all message senders before clicking on a link or replying to a message with sensitive information, even if it comes from an apparently known and trusted source. Use Nuwber to find out where messages have originated from.
Strong Cybersecurity Policies:
Making sure that there are strong policies regarding cybersecurity in your company will ensure that everybody is aware of what they need to be doing to protect the business from this risk. Often, attacks occur as a result of human error, such as writing passwords down on post-it notes or sharing login credentials with other employees. While it might not seem to be that big of a deal to somebody who does not understand how risky it can be, small errors such as these are often the downfall for small companies that are targeted. Therefore, having strict rules and policies in place will help to minimize your risk and ensure that all employees understand the importance of staying secure.
Cybersecurity Culture:
Finally, regular training and updating on cybersecurity for employees should be something that all small businesses do. It is easy for employees to believe that cybersecurity is the responsibility of those in higher positions, or perhaps they will not know how to respond if something doesn’t seem right but is not obviously a threat. Working to create a cybersecurity culture where everybody is vigilant and not afraid to speak up if they notice something unusual, even if it turns out to be nothing, is absolutely crucial. Employees should understand that it is the responsibility of everybody to ensure that cybersecurity policies are adhered to and that anything that could potentially be a risk is reported and dealt with immediately, just as they would deal with any potential hazards to health and safety in the business, for example.
