Unfortunately, the idea that you are safe from hackers just because you’re a smaller business isn’t true. We touch on that in our blog, 5 Crucial Cybersecurity Areas That Need Your Attention. When you break it down, there are two main ways you could fall victim to a cybersecurity attack. The first is you, like any of us with a connection to the Internet, are a target of opportunity. Simply put, this means that you could fall victim to one of the millions of phishing, social engineering, or other nefarious scams that are created on a daily basis. For hackers, it’s a numbers game. The cost of sending huge numbers of malicious emails is low, so hackers don’t need to be choosy about their targets. You could just happen to be the person that clicks a bad link, opens a suspicious email, or sends money without fully vetting the receiver. The second way you could become a victim is that you are a target of choice. That is, you have caught the attention of a hacker who is now actively trying to exploit your IT weaknesses. There are several reasons someone could target your business, specifically: Money. There are lots of ways hackers can make money off poorly protected IT systems:
They can fool you into sending it directly (through creative phishing). They can steal your data or your customers’ information and sell it. Or they can encrypt your data and hold it ransom. Competitiveness. Hackers may want to steal your proprietary information, either for their own use or to sell to your competitors. Political reasons. Perhaps your organization advocates for a cause others don’t like. A great way to start protecting your business today is to schedule a security audit to identify your potential exposure and ways to limit it.