Many small business owners are convinced they’ll never be a part of a cyber-attack; but, in this day and age, that couldn’t be more untrue.

Source: https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/cyber-security-statistics-small-business.html

– 43 percent of cyber-attacks target small businesses, but 51 percent allocate no money to any type of cybersecurity.

– 60 percent of small companies go out of business within six months of a cyber-attack.

– From May 2015 – May 2016, 55 percent of respondents said their small business experienced a cyber-attack. These instances costed the businesses an average of nearly $900,000 due to damage or theft of assets.

One of the main reasons scammers target small businesses is because running a business is difficult and incredibly stressful at times making it easy for cybersecurity to fall to the back of everyone’s mind. The other big reason is because most small businesses don’t have a C-suite executive responsible for security, so the owner usually wears that cape as well making it easy for things to slip through the cracks.

Protection starts at the core of the company…the owner. If the owner isn’t trained in cybersecurity than how is the boss supposed to train the employees? The employees are the biggest risk when it comes to cybersecurity. In the Symantec Internet Security Report, it shows that 1 in 40 small businesses are in danger for being the victim of a cyber-crime, which is much less than the 1 in 2 large businesses that are targeted multiple times per year.

How can you make cybersecurity a priority in 2017? Be prepared…before it’s too late. Develop a protection plan with your employees and your IT team and take these every day precautions to ensure your information is protected:

– Use anti-virus software

– Strong passwords

– No unapproved downloads

– Check firewalls

– Use a virtual private network (VPN)

– Update your operating systems at first availability

Don’t wait until it’s too late to develop a strategy for cybersecurity, you’re setting yourself up as a perfect target for scammers. By being proactive, you can save yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars! Use the tips we’ve mentioned earlier and give us a call us to make sure your information is protected from these hackers.

Related posts:

5 Scams That Target Small Businesses and How to Protect Against Them

Best Practices – Small Business Cybersecurity

Source: https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/cyber-security-statistics-small-business.html