Cyber-attacks on small businesses are on the rise. A survey from Symantec’s 2016 Internet Security Threat Report shows that small businesses have become a big target for hackers. Symantec’s report shows that about 1 in 40 small business are at risk of being the victim of a cyber crime.
So for any business or organisation, big or small, can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The most common technique that hackers use is phishing. Phishing is typically carried out by hackers who pretend to be authorised party. They will send email spoofing or instant messaging to users and it often direct users to enter personal or company information at a fake website which are likely to be identical to the legitimate one. Hackers will get all the details which users entered on the fake website.
The emails or messages often contains malware where it can be installed when the user click on it. After that, hackers will have the access to your company’s data. Symatec’s survey shows that phishing campaigns targeted small business 43 percent of the time in 2016.
Australia had the largest number of cyber security attacks world-wide in 2016, according to Global State of Information Security.
How to protect your business from cyber-attack?
- Provide trainings to your employees so that they know what to look for and be suspicious of. Come out with a policy so that they can follow strictly.
- Invest in software that can detect fake emails by examining the identity of the sender.
- Plan ahead and be proactive in identifying vulnerabilities in your IT system and processes.
If you need any assistance in cyber security, get in touch with Netcomp.
