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Three forms of cyberattack that all SMEs must be able to deal with

Small businesses should by now be aware of the increasing number of cybercrime offence headlines in the 2017 news. Many of these crimes affected large businesses, but it would be a mistake to think that small businesses are protected by their size. There are many types of cybercrime, but here are three of the most common about which all companies should be aware heading into the spring and summer.

Cyber Attack

Phishing

Phishing is a simple scam, and it has been around for some time. It can take many forms, but often the victim receives an email from a seemingly trusted recipient, like a bank, which asks them to enter their login and account details into a fraudulent site. This information is then used by the scammers to access the genuine bank account and ultimately steal funds.

Traditionally, victims of phishing have been older people or those less familiar with the internet. Increasingly, however, even tech-savvy individuals have fallen victim to phishing scams, and businesses are also targets. Criminals have begun to hone their techniques, not only tailoring their scam emails to specific audiences, but also employing technical and legalistic jargon to seem more authentic. A recent scam had phishing emails claiming to originate from HMRCasking the recipient to input bank details ostensibly to receive a tax refund: the link led to a bogus site and consequently accounts were compromised.

Ransomware

This type of cybercrime is associated more with larger corporations in the popular imagination, but it can affect smaller companies too especially since, in many cases, they are a more attractive target. Ransomware, as the name suggests, involves criminals hacking into a business and holding its data ‘captive’, releasing it in exchange for money. Big companies are of course targeted because they have deep pockets, but small entities are also at risk. This is because large companies tend to have robust security measures in place already, thus hindering or deterring hack attacks. Because of this, it may be more rewarding for criminals to target many small businesses with weaker defences than one big one.

It is therefore important for small business owners to educate both themselves and their staff on cybercrime. It is not enough simply to keep antivirus up-to-date. Rigorous security standards should be enforced. This means that all data must be backed up, the use of USB devices must be regulated and charted and vulnerabilities must be located and secured. Additionally, staff must get into the habit of employing strong passwords which are changed on occasion. There are many guides available to assist in devising a strong password.

Cloud-based cyber attacks

Many businesses are relying to a greater extent on the cloud to ease access to data. SaaS applications are now accessible to most organisations on a pay per use basis. This is an especially attractive model for the SME sector since it tends to be both cheap and efficient. But in using a cloud system, security concerns do not disappear. In fact, the cloud brings its own security questions: although the servers holding business data are kept off-site, it is still important that SMEs choose the right provider for them to ensure that appropriate protocols are in place. Furthermore, small businesses must ensure that their staff employ safe practice when accessing the cloud network on their devices. Although most of the burden of data security shifts to the cloud provider, business owners must still maintain a high security standard. To this end, corporations of all sizes must ensure both that they keep abreast of advances in security, and that they have a comprehensive strategy in place to deal with cloud-based hack attacks.

Towards the end of last year there were several high-profile security breaches involving large companies like TalkTalk and the Post Office. But these cases are just the tip of the iceberg and head a wide field of hack attacks on companies large and small. It is likely that 2017 will continue the trend as corporations and websites are exposed to an ever more bewildering array of hacks whose methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Large corporations may get the headlines but, when it comes to security breaches and cyber safety, smaller entities are not immune – they may even make a more attractive target. SMEs should take note of this and make adequate preparation.

About the author: Cheeky Monkey IT Support

Cheeky Munkey has been providing managed IT Support throughout the UK to businesses since 1999. They deliver Enterprise-level services and solutions at prices that work for you.

Cheeky Munkey

Tel: 0345 456 0525
Email: if@heyukyc.knocekmne.ou
Website: www.cheekymunkey.co.uk

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The above blog has been kindly supplied by the above mentioned author. The inclusion of this content and any links to another web site, or any reference to any product or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply an endorsement or recommendation by D2N2 Growth Hub.

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