SMBs becoming a bigger target for cybercriminals
Throughout 2015, we witnessed a lot of high-profile hacking stories (such as Talk Talk and Ashley Madison). But it’s not just big businesses that are being targeted. Reports have found that almost a quarter of small and medium businesses (SMB) have had a recent security issue — and it’s only going to get harder for SMBs as hackers perceive them as easy targets.
Ransomware is another area we’ve seen some high-profile incidents occur in the past year, and we’ll continue to see criminals monetizing small businesses through attacks. Ransomware is significantly more visible compared to previous payloads like spam or malware. And ransomware has the potential to destroy an SMB if they don’t pay up.
With smaller security budgets, SMBs apply a best-effort approach to security investments, and they remain vulnerable to attacks as hackers easily find security gaps in their network.
A security breach can cost a small business tens of thousands of dollars or more. SMBs need to thoughtfully plan their IT strategy to prevent an attack before it happens. This requires a consolidated effort and, for optimal success, a comprehensive system where all the components communicate with each other.