Small businesses are increasingly the target of cyberattacks and many don’t have the resources to adequately protect themselves. In this article, we’ll share the top 4 cybersecurity practices that every small business should be doing to help keep their data, customers, and systems safe.
The Importance of Cybersecurity for Small Businesses
Small businesses are often the target of cyber and ransomware attacks because they usually have smaller cybersecurity budgets and IT teams than larger businesses. Cyber criminals know this and will try to exploit small businesses for their own gain. Even worse, these criminals can often evade the law because they can operate outside of your legal jurisdiction. By implementing these simple cybersecurity defense techniques, small businesses can make themselves much less attractive targets for cyber criminals.
There are many different cybersecurity practices that small businesses can implement depending on their budget size. However, some of the most important, yet simple ones are listed below.
The Top 4 Cybersecurity Practices for Small Businesses
1. Keep your software up to date.
One of the most important, yet overlooked things you can do to improve your cybersecurity is to keep your software up to date. All major software distributors are constantly upgrading their software to patch bugs & vulnerabilities, so you might as well take advantage of their work!
This includes updates to your operating systems, web browsers, and any other applications you use.
Outdated software is one of the most common ways that hackers can gain access to systems, because old versions of common software often have known exploits. By ensuring your software is up to date, you can patch any known security vulnerabilities and make it much harder for hackers to get into your system.
2. Use strong passwords and enable multi-factor authentication.
Another important step you can take is to use strong passwords for all of your accounts, and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible. Strong passwords are long, unique, and contain a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Consider using a password manager for important accounts. A password manager can help you generate completely random, long, unique passwords.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code from your phone or another device whenever you try to log into an account. This makes it much harder for hackers to gain access even if they have your password.
3. Encrypt your data and web traffic.
Data encryption is another effective way to improve your cybersecurity. By encrypting your data, you make it unreadable without the proper key, which makes surveillance and man-in-the-middle attacks much harder to execute. Consider upgrading all of your websites to use HTTPS/SSL/TLS.
4. Train employees in cybersecurity awareness.
One of the most common ways hackers exploit their victims is through social engineering. This is where they target the employees at your company for a way in. This type of attack can take many forms, but the most common would be phishing emails. Employees should be trained in how to spot cyber threats, what to do if they encounter one, and to immediately report any phishing or social engineering attempts.
Conclusion
Small businesses are often the target of cyberattacks, but there are some simple cybersecurity practices they can implement to help protect themselves. We recommend that small businesses use strong passwords and password managers, enable two-factor authentication, encrypt their data, create backups, and educate their employees on cybersecurity best practices. By following these tips, small businesses can make themselves much less likely to be targeted by cybercriminals and their automated penetration scripts.