Small Business Security is at Risk

Many small and medium businesses struggle with finances and may make excuses when it comes to setting aside a little extra for dealing with security issues. The problem, however, is that small businesses are a huge target. In fact, they’re the favorite target of cybercriminals, making up nearly 60% of web-based crimes. This is due to both size and budget; small businesses often don’t set aside the money they should do keep cybercrime at bay, leaving their data open to theft. 

1. Falling for Scams 

Phishing scams are responsible for 95% of enterprise network attacks. With formal-looking headers, convincing links, and attachments that seem urgent, many employees can be fooled. This puts you and your customers’ data at risk. 

Solution: Employees should vet each email by doing secondary research on the company sending an email to them. Never click on links or attachments through emails unless the sender is trusted and verified or after confirming that your coworker really did send something your way. 

2. Employee Access

Security issues from disgruntled or previous employees can wreak havoc on your data if they have access to internal systems and accounts. This includes stealing and sharing confidential information and deleting files, among other things.

Solution: Give employees the basic access level necessary to perform their tasks. If you must give them more authority, be sure to revoke it after their task is complete. All previous employee accounts should be wiped from the system as soon as possible. Monitor employee activity for anything suspicious to get a head start on problem areas as they arise. 

3. Lack of Encryption

Encryption scrambles your messages and data so that only devices or accounts with a specific key can access it. Without encryption, hackers can easily access your data and can immediately read and share it without jumping through any extra hoops.

Solution: With encryption, even stolen data can’t be deciphered and is practically meaningless to thieves. Make sure your data storage and transfer software uses encryption, if it has the option. If not, invest in up-to-date, highly-rated encryption software. The more systems you encrypt, the better your security will be. 

4. Using Software That’s Not Up to Date 

Outdated software is often riddled with holes and bugs that can be exploited by hackers. What’s more, the older the software, the more cybercriminals know about it, and how to attack it. Unpatched devices and serves are also at risk. 

Solution: If your devices or server hosts no longer plan to patch their services, upgrade as soon as possible. Keep your software, firmware, and hardware up to date to slow down the progress of cybercriminals. Some applications may require manual updates, so make it a point to regularly check the information of all of your applications and devices and implement updates when they arise.

5. Using Passwords

Passwords are the weakest security measures, even if you believe they’re “strong.” In fact, over 90% of hashed passwords can be cracked within seconds. If not stolen, passwords can often be forgotten or lost as well, costing time and money to resolve employee authentication issues. 

Solution: Opt for TraitWare’s passwordless authentication system. Using a QR code and your cellular device as a key, TraitWare creates passwordless multi-factor access to address the security issues related to credentials. Your password can’t be stolen if you don’t have one.