Hackers are targeting small businesses because they lack cybersecurity.
Cyber threats to small businesses include phishing, brute force attacks, and ransomware.
Small business owners must change their tactics to secure their network in remote work environments.
The article below is aimed at small business owners that want to secure their remote workers and network from cybercriminals.
What could be a more attractive target for hackers than remote workers? Small businesses are prime targets for cyber attacks, as working from home has become the norm in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic.
This makes perfect sense. It makes sense.
Accenture found in a report that only 14% of small business owners have adequate protections to ward off attacks. This was even before the Pandemic. The cybersecurity situation is now more dangerous than ever.
Small and medium-sized businesses are the number one target for attackers because they don’t have security in place, nor do they deploy technology that should have been deployed years ago. Rob Krug is the network security architect for Avast Business. He told Business News Daily that attackers target small and medium-sized businesses because they lack the necessary security measures in place. Security is now less strictly enforced because everyone has diversified.
Cyber attacks can be classified into several types.
As they try to navigate the new norm, small business owners are in danger. They are under constant cyber-attacks. They need to secure their network, ensure they are safe using third-party programs, and stop their remote employees from clicking the wrong things. It is important to be vigilant about security. Recovery from a cyber-attack can take a long time and be expensive. It’s a fact that many small businesses do not survive.
The first defense is to stay one step ahead. Knowing the risks of cybersecurity is the first step.
Brute-force attacks
Due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, many businesses had to rush to provide remote access for their employees. Many turned to RDP servers, a Microsoft software that allows users to access Windows desktops and servers remotely. RDP servers were vulnerable to attacks because they did not have up-to-date software. This was exploited by criminals, resulting in a massive increase in attacks against these remote access servers.
Kaspersky, a cybersecurity firm, recorded 3.3 billion RDP attempts in 2020. This is up from 969 million in 2019. Cybercriminals prefer brute-force attacks to gain access to these servers.
Kurt Baumgartner is a principal Kaspersky security researcher.
Emails and texts containing malware and phishing are a concern.
In the corporate world, phishing emails are a common problem. Hackers try to fool users into clicking links. The problem has become even more serious during this Pandemic as bad actors peddle fake COVID-19 tests, cures, and vaccinations. The situation has become so serious that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a warning to the public in late December about fraudulent schemes connected with the Pandemic.
The constant phishing attack will be the biggest thing to continue this year, said Tiffany Garcia, National Cybersecurity Practice Leader at CBIZ. They are becoming more sophisticated, and they look more legitimate. “With the COVID case, they’re really targeting peoples’ hearts.”
Many employees use their own devices to stay connected and communicate with other remote workers. This makes companies more vulnerable to infections and malware. There has been a rise in the number of fake versions of popular video and messaging apps. Once clicked, they install malicious software that tracks your keystrokes and movements. Kaspersky detected 1.66 million unique malicious files in 2020 spread by fake versions of popular applications.
Ransomware
Hackers are expected to hold data and networks hostage in exchange for money, causing the cost of this type of attack to be $20 billion worldwide. Small businesses, however, are also a target of ransomware. Smaller companies are particularly at risk, as the ransomware attackers usually demand payment via untraceable cryptocurrencies. The situation is made worse by a deadline.
Third-party vendor risk
More than ever, small business owners rely on software from third parties. This increases the risk to the business if the third-party software is not safe and secure. SolarWinds is a software provider that caters to Fortune 500 companies and governments. In early 2020, hackers infiltrated the SolarWinds Network, installing malware in the software that other companies used to manage their own IT resources. These customers, in turn, were compromised.
Peter Fidler is a partner at WCA Technologies. He said, “As SolarWinds demonstrates, you need to be very careful with the software that you install.”
Takeaway message: Small business owners have many reasons to be concerned about cyberattacks. This is especially true in a remote working environment. Cybersecurity is a major concern for small business owners. They face a number of risks, including brute-force attacks and phishing, malware, and ransomware. The first step to protecting your business network is understanding the threats.
Cyber-attacks: How to safeguard your company from them
It is important to protect your business from cyber-attacks, regardless of whether employees work at home or are in the office. If you do not set up boundaries for your employees, it is easy to get infected, even if all of the security measures are in place.
1. Access control
It means creating segments for access to your system and applications. You can also block certain apps and websites, as well as teach your employees what they should click and avoid. This may be an eye-opener for some employees and a refresher for others. It is important to bring everyone up to speed on cybersecurity.
2. Train employees.
It’s important to have cyber security training in remote environments, but it is often neglected. Kaspersky surveyed workers in April, one month after the outbreak, and discovered that 73% had not received an IT security update from their employers. Security firm Kaspersky also discovered that many employees are overconfident about their cyber skills. Kaspersky called it “unconscious ignorance” and said that it is a danger if staff members think themselves to be IT experts.
Baumgartner stated that “clear policies must be in place on the types of devices and home networks which can be installed, who is responsible, as well as awareness of the changes [in cyberattack] techniques.” Cybercriminals target people who work from home. “They need to know that.”
3. Test your software.
Cybersecurity analysts say it is important to thoroughly vet third-party providers when using the software. It is important to choose a company with an established security plan to safeguard your data and that of your clients.
Fidler advised that when downloading software, you should verify the link and consider blocking the employee from installing the program on their own. The software can be pre-installed on laptops that you have vetted, or it can live in the cloud, and employees are able to access the virtual private network. You want employees to avoid installing apps not approved by you that may infect the network with malware.
Fidler explained that shadow IT allows access to files on the file server of the business or anywhere else the documents are stored. Some of these people are legitimate, but many are trying to get into the system or steal data. It’s important to know the source of any link before clicking.
