The 5 biggest (easy to fix) cybersecurity threats to SMBs

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, but they may not have as many resources to deal with serious breaches or serious protection as larger companies.

Luckily, some of the biggest threats to small businesses are easy to fix with a few changes to company policy or a bit of education.

1. Phishing

Phishing is a huge risk for businesses both large and small. Phishing attacks involve someone posing as a legitimate entity and sneaking their way into your email inbox, text messages or social media messaging. The goal is to try to trick you into giving them important information.

And they’re devious. They may pose as your bank, a friend in need, or even someone inside your own company.

Luckily, phishing vulnerability is pretty easy to stop. Investing in a training program for your employees to follow makes it less likely that they will fall victim to such an attack. Some of these programs even send test phishing schemes to your team, so they can learn from their mistakes without actually giving up important company data.

2. Weak BYOD policies

BYOD stands for “bring your own device” and it is becoming increasingly popular in small businesses. Employees don’t want to have separate devices for home and work, but it can get you into trouble if you don’t have a clear policy for your business.

Make sure your BTOD policy states that employees must use a VPN to access important company information. Also, clearly delineate who owns the company data on the device.

Finally, make sure to state what will happen to the information once the employee leaves the company. You need to reduce the risk of sensitive information leaving with your recently departed team member.

3. Computer viruses

Viruses such as malware and ransomware are easy to avoid.

Computers can be infected through phishing attempts or simply clicking on the wrong link online or downloading a bad file. However, if you have an up-to-date anti-virus software installed on each computer in your system, you greatly reduce the risk of falling victim to computer viruses.

Most antivirus programs can be set to auto-update, making this one of the easiest ways to protect your small business from cybersecurity threats.

4. Liberal permissions on electronic accounts

Permissions can become a nightmare when it comes to online accounts including CRMs, CMSs, accounting tools and other programs used by businesses to share data. However, it’s important to make sure that only the appropriate employees have the right amount of access.

No one should have any more access than they need to do their job. This prevents data leaks due to lack of employee knowledge about cybersecurity threats, and leaks due to internal attacks with malicious intent.

5. Vulnerabilities in out of date software

Software is frequently updated to fix vulnerabilities discovered by researchers both in computers themselves and in software. As these hackable weaknesses are found by researchers, developers and others, they are often exploited by fast-acting malicious hackers who try to get as much out of it before fixes are offered.

The longer you wait to update your software, the longer your data will be vulnerable. Check for updates frequently and make sure to always keep software up to date.

Advanced cybersecurity threat protection

Making sure that all of the simple & more challenging IT issues are taken care of is a big job.

Contact your managed IT services provider to find out how you can have a team on your side to stay on the ball.