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What Risks Phishing Poses to Small Businesses

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Phishing is one of the most common ways cybercriminals attack small businesses. Unfortunately, the aftermath of a cyber-attack can cost small businesses a fortune in recovery time. On the other hand, some companies can’t recover from these attacks.

These days, phishing scams are gaining momentum because they’re too easy to replicate. Some can be as simple as sending a spoofed email with malicious intent or creating a fake website.

Phishing poses grave risks to your business depending on the attack’s scope. Let’s look at some ways they can affect your organization below.

1. Theft of Intellectual Property

Aside from money and equipment, another important business asset is intellectual property. Everything you’ve used to build your company successfully, from trade secrets to industry research, can go down the drain.

That’s because phishing attacks can compromise all of your hard work. When this occurs, a phishing attack can set your business back and make it less competitive.

2. Data Loss

Hackers can access your data anytime and cost businesses millions of dollars. In fact, the global average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million this year.

Data breaches occur, especially if you were to click on a malicious link in an email. Many cyberattacks happen this way to try and deceive an employee with a tricky subject line.

What looks like a normal link in the email is one thing hackers use to corrupt and delete files. Data loss is one of the most common phishing attacks and can cause a hefty loss for organizations.

3. Damage to Reputation

Many companies suffer from data breaches, compromising the business reputation as a result. Data can include sensitive customer and employee information. And when a company has to announce the violation publicly, many will lose trust in the organization.

Data breaches strongly impact brand reputation and it can be challenging to come back from a successful hack.

4. Loss of Clientele

When companies lose trust in their customers, they lose their business. It only takes one successful phishing attack to scare away customers.

Unfortunately, consumers will stop doing business with that organization even after several months. Therefore, regaining their confidence is no easy task.

5. Financial Penalties

Companies are responsible for protecting their customers’ data. Yet when they mishandle their information, hefty fines can occur since many regulations are intact.

Ensure your business is following best practices. Violating regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and PCI result in penalties for targeted companies.

You may think your business is too small for such an occurrence. However, many cybercriminals go after these smaller organizations because larger ones heavily invest in cybersecurity.

In Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report, 1,037 data breaches occurred at small businesses, while 819 were large businesses.

6. Operational Disruption

Phishing attacks use malware that can completely shut down your systems. If a cyber attack were to occur, this would make it impossible to run your business.

That’s because malicious bugs can take you offline and render you with nothing to keep your business from prospering. An interruption to your business like this can result in a tremendous decrease in productivity.

Prevent Phishing Attacks in Your Business

Phishing attacks occur daily and thousands of businesses fall victim to them yearly. Fortunately, these scams are avoidable if you put the proper measures in place.

Invest in cybersecurity by following these simple tips:

  • Be aware of the latest phishing methods and share them with users regularly with security awareness training.
  • Avoid clicking on suspicious links.
  • Change your passwords regularly.
  • Ensure you update your software regularly. Updates release security patches that prevent cyber-attacks.
  • Install desktop and network firewalls to bolster your security.
  • Be aware of giving out information to an unsecured site. Ensure the site has security certificates before entering sensitive information.

Invest in Cybersecurity

Phishing attacks have numerous negative impacts on organizations. Therefore, it’s critical that you invest in cybersecurity solutions, implement policies and prioritize employee education.

When you put protective measures in place, you have a higher chance of protecting your business, employees and customers.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.

8 Reasons Website Security Maintenance is Important for Your Business

Author: Maggie Bloom

A website is a company’s online face. It’s a powerhouse for your business as you can use it for promotion and client generation. The website is a valuable resource; you need to protect it not to disappoint your clients. Here are some reasons why you should schedule regular website security maintenance.

1. Rapid Increase of Hacked Websites

Website hacking is a significant issue facing many companies. Unfortunately, some of these hacks are fatal to the company. Note that most hackers will re-target your website visitors and potential customers. Thus, scheduling website security maintenance is essential to ensure the site is not vulnerable to attacks. Hence, your company will be in the statistics.

2. Prevents Your Website from Google Blacklisting

Note that when google block lists your website, it’s considered unsafe for use by the public. Google will block list your site if it suspects it spreads malware. As a result, visitors will avoid engaging with your content, making you lose potential leads. By conducting website security maintenance, you’ll ensure there is nothing suspicious on your website.

3. Protects Your Company’s Reputation

Having a good reputation is a vital trait for a successful company. With minimal or no website security maintenance, the public might access your company’s crucial information. Due to this, your client will lose trust in your company. Additionally, you will get attention from the media, which will destroy your brand image.

It’s important to note that rising from a damaged reputation might be challenging. With the massive damage, you’ll lose a majority of your clients. Additionally, clearing your name from the media will not be an easy task. Your competitors will also take advantage of your downfall and tap your clients.

4. WordPress Cleanup is Expensive

In case your website gets hacked, the next course of action is to clean it up. Since the cleanup process is challenging, it’s more expensive. To cut unnecessary costs, you need to protect your website. This helps get rid of all infected files. WordPress malware removal is not an easy task. Thus, you’ll need to work with experts for the cleanup. You can also rely on cyber security staffing recruiters to place the best experts in the field within your business to help with these tough IT tasks.

5. Guarantees Your Customers’ Safety

For your customers to interact with your website, they need to be sure they are safe. Thus, it’s your responsibility to ensure that no one gets to access your clients’ crucial details. Note that clients can sue you for not protecting their information. This will harm your business image. With website security maintenance, you ensure that systems are in check. This way, your visitors’ information remains confidential.

6. Protects Your Company’s Assets

Confidential information leaks cause massive damage to the company. The company’s assets that need protection include; financial records and client lists. When competitors get hold of your customer lists, they will steal them from you. What’s more, your clients will no longer feel safe working with you. Performing routine security maintenance is essential as it ensures no breach of your company’s assets. When your clients trust that their information is safe, they can share details that will help you meet their needs.

7. Maintain Your Competitive Advantage

As seen above, when your competitors have information about your clients, they can go for them. This will give them an added advantage as they know your customers’ requirements. Also, they can create products or services to tap your potential leads. With this, you will not stand a chance of standing out in the crowd. You can be an edge over your competitors by undertaking the maintenance process. This is because you can keep all your company’s success secrets safe.

8. Maintain Compliance

With online security compliance, there are some things you have to focus on. This includes the certifications or qualifications that touch the industry you’re in. It lets you know what you need to work on in your projects. By performing website security maintenance, you’ll know what is missing and sort it out. By having everything in order, you will avoid any legal actions and will protect your company from market infringement.

Any website security breach is harmful to your business. It can lead to a bad reputation, financial damage, and your company’s downfall. For effective website security maintenance, ensure to work with experts.

5 Reasons Cybersecurity is Important for Remote Businesses

Author: Maggie Bloom

Recent stats indicate that phishing emails increased by over 600% during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, Google blocked over 18 million coronavirus-related phishing emails and malware. These facts indicate the security risk that comes with working from home. There are also good reasons every remote business must reinforce its Cybersecurity. To protect your remote business from Cybersecurity attacks, implement the latest Cybersecurity countermeasures. Here are five reasons your remote business needs enhanced Cybersecurity reinforcement.

  1. Cybersecurity Risks Increase When You’re Working Remotely

When working remotely, Cybersecurity attacks spike since you lack robust security systems. You’re not under the protection of secured firewalls and networks. When you get Cybersecurity attacks, you don’t have access to in-person security and IT support. Your devices and networks lack the proper security reinforcement. Therefore, you’re more likely to face serious security threats.

When working remotely, you rely heavily on the internet and cloud-based tools. These systems create loopholes for cybercriminals to access your company data. The good news is you can lower your company’s Cybersecurity risk by hiring qualified managed IT services for San Antonio and Austin if your business is located in these areas.

  1. Data Leak Protection

Remote businesses must reinforce their Cybersecurity to protect against data leaks. When working from home, you rely heavily on the cloud and the internet to share data. You store business data, customer data, and sensitive details online. Online storage systems expose your data to the risk of hacking and unauthorized access.

By reinforcing your Cybersecurity systems and networks, you can protect your data from leaks. The most effective Cybersecurity countermeasure is using burner emails. These dummy emails enable your employees to log into your official websites. They help your business avoid leaking your crucial credentials to unauthorized hands. There are many other internet-based tools you can use to reinforce your Cybersecurity and prevent data leaking.

  1. Cybersecurity Crimes Are Costly to Manage

The risk of attack by cybercriminals is higher when you’re working remotely. The risk of unauthorized data access and manipulation is as well high. The costs of countering data breaches cost companies over $3.62 million annually. These are massive amounts that can render your company bankrupt.

Data breach management costs keep increasing every day as cyber criminals become smarter. Think of how often you share unencrypted data with companies. Figure out how often you connect to unsecured networks and use the wrong passwords when working remotely. These and many more challenges can leave your company’s data at risk of hacking. To save your company money and time wasted to recover hacked systems, you must reinforce your cybersecurity systems.

  1. Hackers Have Advanced Their Game

The recent years have seen more and smarter cyber criminals. They have advanced their game and continually researching and implementing sophisticated technologies. As you upgrade your cybersecurity game, cybercriminals keep reinventing new attack technologies. Cybercriminals have advanced their game in system infiltration, password sniffing, and website defacement. They use more advanced instant messaging abuse and web browser exploits.

They keep reinventing new Key loggers, Trojans, malware, Ransomware, Adware, and rootkits. Not reinforcing your cybersecurity game make your business more vulnerable. Implement innovative tools and systems to protect your company from cybersecurity threats.

  1. Hackers have Increased

When working remotely, you must also be ready to deal with increased hacking attacks. More sophisticated cyber criminals realize the potential the business has. They’re almost everyone, including healthcare institutions, finance, small businesses, and insurance. These hackers also try their lack in higher education centers and government agencies.

It’s only wise to prep your business to counteract attacks from all angles. Even the most secure systems and applications risk data breaches and attacks. You need to hire online security experts to enable you to detect and mitigate threats from every angle. Invest in the latest technological innovation to keep your business safe.

If you resorted to remote working owing to the pandemic, it’s time you upgraded your cybersecurity game. Cybersecurity risks and data breach issues have spiked significantly in recent years. If you’re not preparing your business to counteract these threats, you’re at risk. You’re likely to spend millions of dollars to mitigate cybersecurity attacks. Invest in the latest technologies and hire qualified online security experts. You may need to invest in managed IT services to help you counter cybersecurity threats.

7 Reasons to Make Sure You Have the Proper Cyber Security

Author: Hannah Boothe

With the rise of the internet, businesses have become increasingly reliant on technology. From storing customer information to processing financial transactions, computers play a vital role in business operations. However, this dependence on technology also makes businesses more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Businesses need to ensure they have the proper cyber security measures in place for many reasons.

1. Cyber-Attacks Are On the Rise

In today’s digital age, cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common. Whether it’s a hacker stealing personal information or a virus infecting a computer, the risks of using the internet are ever-present. And as our lives become more intertwined with technology, the stakes are only getting higher. By investing in cybersecurity and being vigilant about online activity, we can help to protect ourselves from the growing threat of cyber-attacks. Businesses need to invest in cybersecurity managed services to protect their data and customers. These services provide a comprehensive approach to security, including threat identification, incident response, and recovery.

2. Hackers Are Becoming More Sophisticated

As the world increasingly moves online, hackers are becoming more sophisticated in their techniques for stealing information and wreaking havoc. In the past, hackers were primarily motivated by revenge or a desire to prove their technical prowess. However, today’s hackers are often highly organized and well-funded, motivated by financial gain or political agendas. As a result, they have access to increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques. They are also targeting companies’ proprietary data, such as trade secrets and customer data. This type of data is much more valuable to hackers and can be used to blackmail or extort companies. It is therefore critical that we stay one step ahead of them.

3. Cyber-Attacks Are Costly

Cyber-attacks are a serious threat to businesses of all sizes. Not only can they result in the loss of sensitive data, but they can also disrupt operations and damage reputations. In addition, cyber-attacks often come with a high price tag. The cost of a data breach is very high, and the costs of recovering from an attack can be even higher. As a result, businesses need to protect themselves from cyber threats. This includes investing in security tools and training employees on best practices for avoiding scams and phishing attacks. By taking these precautions, businesses can help to reduce the risk of costly cyber-attacks.

4. Your Customers Expect You to Protect Their Data

In the wake of the Equifax breach, customers are now more aware of the importance of data security. They expect companies to take the necessary steps to protect their personal information, and they will not do business with companies that cannot provide this assurance.

5. You Could Be Held Liable for A Data Breach

If your company suffers a data breach, you could be liable for the damages. This is especially true if you have been negligent in protecting your data. In some cases, you may even be criminally liable. So if you want to avoid being held liable for a data breach, make sure you’re taking steps to protect your data. Invest in cyber security measures like data encryption and two-factor authentication, and make sure your employees are trained to keep data safe.

6. Cyber-Attacks Can Destroy Your Business

A cyber-attack can do more than just cost you money. It can also destroy your business. Your reputation could be damaged if confidential information about you is released online. Additionally, if your customer data is exposed, you will lose their trust. If your trade secrets are stolen, your competition will gain an advantage. And if your systems are taken down, you may not be able to recover.

7. To Keep Your Computer Safe from Viruses and Malware

No one wants their computer to be infected with a virus or malware. That’s why it’s important to have good cyber security. Cyber security includes having a strong password, not clicking on links from unknown sources, and updating your software regularly. Having good cyber security protects your computer from malicious attacks. It also helps to keep your personal information safe.

Conclusion

Cyber-attacks are a serious threat to businesses of all sizes. If you do not have the proper cyber security, you could be the next victim. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you protect your business. There are several ways to improve your cyber security, including encrypting data, creating strong passwords, and investing in security software. By taking these precautions, you can help to reduce Cyber-attacks.