Cyber Attacks Are Automated - What does that mean for small business? Have you ever thought to yourself – “I’m just a small business - why would anyone bother to hack into my systems when there are far bigger targets out there? “
You're not alone in that thinking - but it’s also off the mark.
The truth is, most cyber attacks are automated. Big or small, any business lacking IT security is a target.
This short post and video covers automated cyber attacks, 3 key risk areas that most people are prone to, and how computer management services help you to prevent threats and problems.
Automation Makes Cyber Attacks Easy
A common image of hackers is a hooded individual, furiously typing away to break down firewalls using high IQ and off the charts coding skills.
Maybe that’s true for some high level hackers but they are paid too much to bother with a small business.
Far more common is the average individual or group of amateurs who buy exploit kits online and run them against any business – your business included.
Bots and scripts run automatically, 24/7, looking for the most common vulnerable points on computers, servers, networks and cloud accounts. Once they find a weakness, they hone in.
It's not personal. It's just business to every day cyber criminals.
Using automation to scan millions of computers, even while they sleep, they get small hit after small hit. The ROI on exploit kits is estimated to be over 1400%. And recent ransomware demands against local small businesses have skyrocketed from an average of $5,000 to $25,000 or $50,000. That ROI number will likely be much larger in the next global ransomware report.
In addition to higher ransomware demands, there has also been an increase in a failure to decrypt files, even after ransoms are paid. Can you imagine paying out thousands and still losing access to every file you use to run your business?
The good news is that you can get automation working for you, with automated computer patching, automated endpoint threat detection and remediation, automated secure employee offboarding and real live humans working on your cyber security.
Managed IT Services providers offer various service plans to meet the needs of every size of business - big or small. These services focus on prevention and avoiding problems before they can settle in.
Prevention Is Key
Something as simple as removing administrative rights from a computer can drastically reduce ransomware and other virus infections. It is one of the very first things we do when we onboard a client to our IT support & security management services. More on administrative vs standard user profiles here.
Be sure to have Disaster Recovery Solutions in place before you need it. It can be the difference between a blip in business operations versus a total shutdown. Your IT consultant can help you plan and rollout your DRP.
Small businesses are big targets of cyber threats because automation makes it easy – and because small business are known not to invest in adequate cyber security.
That’s why it’s important to schedule your cyber security consultation and upgrades in 2021.
There is very little that can be done after an employee leaves and steals sensitive client data, or after a ransomware infection happens without any disaster recovery in place. You can avoid those outcomes by getting ahead of any such incident. Put in place the right systems, policies and tools today – so they can protect you tomorrow.
Running a small business is demanding. Nobody can do it all alone. Successful SMB owners know the secret is to outsource – be it accounting, marketing, HR or IT management services.
