In recent years, there has been a significant rise in cyber attacks on small businesses. Customers everywhere have received the same emails, informing them of a possible information leakage, and encouraging them to change passwords and follow up with security measures from at-home computers. If you’ve been a victim of a cyber attack, or shop with a small business that has, here are some theories on why hackers might target these smaller companies.
Less Security in Place
Small businesses are often family-owned and locally operated with little to fund their business ventures. This means less security in place, especially if these businesses operate in both the real and online worlds. Since small businesses are often targeted for cyber attacks, business professionals should foresee the risks and invest more in security measures that protect the privacy of their customers and entire company.
Business Owners Rarely Expect a Cyber Attack
Cyber attacks are something that happen to other people, like other things you see in passing on the news or social media. No business owner ever truly expects a hacker to target their business. However, it does happen, and often. If you put your company out there in the public eye, you are likely to capture the attentions of hackers and rogue cyber attackers alike. Expect it, prepare for it, and protect your company.
Smaller Databases to Break Into
Smaller businesses equate to smaller databases because there is less information to store. Throw in fewer security measures, and you have a gift-wrapped bundle of info for hackers. Regardless of how small your database is, or how little customer information you stow away, you should put encrypted blankets of security in place to defend against the average hackers. You could also invest in hosted voip systems to make your website easier to maintain and monitor via verbal controls.
Easier to Do an Inside Job on a Startup Newbie
Most hackers that attack small businesses are either too confident in their abilities, or honing their skills out of boredom. As a matter of fact, most would-be hackers are in their late teens, with nothing better to do than guess passwords and strive to break into business databases. With that said, some hackers will go as far as to gain your trust, posing as a loyal customer, before attacking an up-and-coming business professional—a.k.a a startup newbie.
Honestly, there are dozens of reasons why a hacker might target a small business. But, as a small business owner, or even a frequenter of a small business, you can protect yourself with in-place safety measures, like firewalls and attack-proof software, on both your work and home computers and devices.
