Busting CyberSecurity Myths  that Put Your SME at Risk

Even with the recent boom in technology, a lot of people are still not well-educated in Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is often left disregarded by small and medium enterprise owners. There are reasons why we should take online security as seriously as physical security. Cyber attacks have been happening for more than a decade. Hackers can target everyone. These hackers are masters of their art. They know that it is easier to target smaller businesses who do not have any form of cybersecurity than a large corporation who has a team for it.

Every person who starts up a business has one goal in mind. It is to earn as much as possible. Technology is vital in today’s world. A lot of things can be done online. Technology can help companies earn more too! Check out New Resources Consulting for technology solutions that could greatly benefit your business.

There are a lot of common myths regarding cybersecurity which is why small and medium enterprise owners do not care for it. Here are some myths:

Small and medium enterprises are not targets for hackers

This is false. According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, around 58% of victims of a data breach are small and medium enterprises. This stat alone proves that the size of your business is not a factor to whether or not you are a target for hackers. With this mindset, small business owners do not take any cybersecurity measures to try to prevent hackers from getting valuable information from them. Hackers would then have an easy time infiltrating your computers.

Any business has valuable information stored on their computers. If hackers want a quick and easy job, they can look for small companies without cybersecurity measures. So, even if you are just a small start-up, always know the importance of cybersecurity.

Usually, phishers target employees who handle finances for the company. So, it is crucial to train your employees on how to detect and prevent cyber attacks from happening to your company.

The saying “prevention is better than cure” holds true in cybersecurity. If a small business loses money because of a cyber attack, it can do more damage than if large corporations lose money. Your company might have to stop operations because you lost your working capital. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

AI Cybersecurity

Storing data in-house is 100% secure

Most cyber attacks are made by employees, either intentionally or unintentionally. Some employees inadvertently give out valuable information to hackers without carefully following cybersecurity protocols. Sometimes, it is more beneficial to look for cybersecurity companies for your online security measures to be safe.

It is vital for companies to do this. Owners and employees are both at risk at losing something valuable if anything terrible happens to the company. So, just because you have all of your data stored in-house doesn’t automatically mean that you are 100% secure.

Have a strict online security protocol for your employees to follow. It is crucial for them to know when an attack is happening for them to prevent it from continuing.

Passwords are completely secure

Just because your account has a password doesn’t mean that it is already safe. Hackers are not easily discouraged from continuing an attack just because of a password. Although, it doesn’t mean that you do not have to put passwords just because it is not 100% safe. What you have to do is add other security measures to prevent further infiltration.

You can add an email or cellphone authenticator for your log-in. Facebook, Steam, and other sites have this option. The more preventive measures you use, the more it dissuades a hacker from targeting you.

Hackers only target certain industries

This is not true. Hackers can target anyone. Whether your company is in the food industry or telecommunications industry, you can be a target for hackers. Any person has some valuable information. A list of clients can be stolen from your company which can benefit a competitor.

Banking information, whether personal or business, can be stolen from you which can cripple your business. Every company in the world can be a target for hackers. So, always keep it safe. Do not be too complacent with security.

Total cybersecurity is achievable

No, it is not. The cyber world is continuously evolving every single day. New malware or threats are created every day. Just because you have the proper cybersecurity software doesn’t mean that you are 100% safe already.

As stated earlier, some employees unknowingly put their companies at risk because of unintentional granting of data access to hackers. Also, all kinds of software will become outdated at some point. It is essential to always be on your toes and keep your company safe at all times.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a more significant threat than we make it out to be. All kinds of business are at risk of a cyber attack. Always be vigilant and do not take your cybersecurity lightly.

Author
Edwin Deponte is a motivational writer who is also passionate about Social Marketing. He believes in others’ abilities and tends to bring out people’s hidden potentials through his words of inspirations and motivational articles.