The most effective ways to prevent hackers from getting into your small business include using multi-factor authentication, keeping software and devices updated, securing email accounts, limiting employee access to sensitive information, maintaining reliable backups, and teaching employees how to recognize suspicious activity. None of these measures requires a company to have hundreds of employees or an internal security department.
Adept Networks helps small and mid-sized businesses put those protections in place through network security services(opens in new tab) that help safeguard networks, devices, accounts, and business data. Small companies face many of the same cyber and hacking threats(opens in new tab) as large organizations, and attackers don't need to steal millions of dollars to cause serious disruption.
Small Businesses Really Do Get Targeted by Hackers
Efficient Escrow of California learned how damaging a cyberattack(opens in new tab) can be after criminals reportedly used Trojan horse malware(opens in new tab) to access the company's banking information. The attackers initiated three transfers totaling more than $1.5 million to overseas bank accounts.
The company recovered the first transfer but reportedly lost approximately $1.1 million from the other two. Efficient Escrow, which had nine staff members, couldn't absorb the loss, and state regulators shut it down shortly after discovering the theft.
The case is dramatic, but the company's size is worth noting. Attackers had found a business where access to one important system could lead to a substantial payoff.
Start With Multi-Factor Authentication
A stolen password becomes much less useful when a criminal also needs another form of verification to get into the account. That's the job of multi-factor authentication(opens in new tab), usually called MFA.
Employees may initially see the extra verification step as an inconvenience. Compare those few seconds with the disruption of someone gaining access to an email account, cloud platform, or other business system, and the tradeoff looks quite different.
Consider MFA for important business accounts wherever it is available. Administrative accounts and systems containing sensitive customer, employee, or financial information deserve particular attention.
Protect the Place Many Attacks Begin: Email
An email can look as though it came from a vendor, coworker, bank, or even the company owner. A link takes the employee to a familiar-looking sign-in page, where they enter their username and password. The employee may not realize anything happened. The person who created the fake page now has the credentials.
Strong business email security(opens in new tab) can help reduce exposure to phishing scams(opens in new tab), malicious attachments, impersonation, and other email-based threats. Technical safeguards matter, but employees also need to know when to pause and question an unusual request.
Slow Down Unusual Money Requests
A message asking an employee to change a vendor's banking information deserves verification. So does an unexpected request from an executive to purchase gift cards or transfer money.
Build a second step into funding requests. A phone call to a known number or an established approval process can give an employee a chance to catch something that looked convincing on screen.
Keep Computers and Software Updated
That update notification employees keep dismissing may contain a fix for a known security vulnerability. Leaving systems unpatched can give attackers an opening that software developers have already addressed.
Businesses often have more devices and applications to track than they realize. Desktop computers, laptops, servers, networking equipment, mobile devices, operating systems, browsers, and business software can all require updates. Ignoring those security updates(opens in new tab) leaves a business vulnerable to attack.
This is one advantage of managed IT services(opens in new tab). You can monitor updates, system health, and other routine technology work instead of relying on every employee to remember what needs attention.
Give Employees Access to What They Need
Someone working in sales probably doesn't need unrestricted access to HR records. A former employee shouldn't still have an active account six months after leaving the company.
Permissions become messy gradually. People change jobs, departments create new folders, temporary access gets granted, and old accounts are forgotten.
Review access periodically and remove permissions that are no longer necessary. Adept's network security services can also help businesses look at how systems and information are protected across the network.
Back Up the Information Your Business Needs
Picture arriving Monday morning and discovering that customer records, shared files, or other critical information won't open. How much work could continue?
Good data backup strategies(opens in new tab) give the company another copy of important data and a way to recover it when something goes wrong. Backups can be valuable after ransomware attacks(opens in new tab), hardware failure, accidental deletion, and other incidents.
Simply having a backup isn't enough. Businesses should know what they're backing up, where those copies are stored, and whether they can actually restore information when needed.
Teach Employees What a Suspicious Email Looks Like
Security software can't make every decision for an employee. Criminals know that, which is why so many attacks rely on convincing someone to click, sign in, download something, or send information, and why cybersecurity training needs to be prioritized.
Give employees examples they might actually encounter. An unexpected Microsoft 365(opens in new tab) login prompt is easier to understand than a long presentation filled with security terminology. So is a fake invoice from a familiar vendor or a message that appears to come from the owner demanding an immediate payment.
Give Employees Somewhere to Ask
Employees sometimes click because they're worried about ignoring a legitimate request. Make it easy for them to ask someone when an email, login prompt, or attachment doesn't look right. A quick question can be far less expensive than investigating a compromised account afterward. Employees should also know whom to contact if they think they already clicked something suspicious.
Watch for Problems Instead of Waiting for Someone to Notice
Some security incidents announce themselves immediately. Many don't. An attacker who obtains valid login credentials may try to stay unnoticed while gathering information or looking for other systems they can reach. A business relying entirely on employees to recognize unusual activity may not discover the problem quickly.
Monitoring networks, devices, accounts, and other systems can help identify warning signs earlier. This is where proactive IT management(opens in new tab) and security work together rather than treating cybersecurity as something that happens only after an incident.
Have a Plan for What Happens After an Attack
Write down who gets called if an employee discovers a compromised account, ransomware message, suspicious bank transfer, or lost laptop. Include the people responsible for technology, management, financial accounts, insurance, and other relevant areas.
Don't wait for an incident to decide who has authority to disconnect a device or deactivate an account. During a security event, having those decisions in place saves time.
For businesses under regulatory requirements, incident response may also involve specific reporting and documentation obligations. Adept Networks provides data compliance services(opens in new tab) to help organizations address technology requirements involving sensitive information.
Questions Small Businesses Ask About Hackers
Are small businesses really worth a hacker's time?
Yes. A smaller company can still have bank accounts, employee credentials, customer information, payment data, email accounts, and access to other organizations.
The Efficient Escrow incident is an extreme example of how much damage can follow one successful compromise. Other attacks may involve smaller dollar amounts but still create downtime, recovery costs, lost data, and difficult conversations with customers.
Can cybersecurity completely prevent hackers?
No security program can promise that an attacker will never succeed. The practical goal is to close common openings, make unauthorized access harder, detect suspicious activity sooner, and have a recovery plan(opens in new tab) if something does happen.
Layering protections is important for that reason. A strong password helps, MFA adds another obstacle, monitoring may spot suspicious activity, and backups provide another recovery option if data is affected.
Where should a small business start?
Begin with the basics: MFA, updates, email protection, backups, employee training, and a review of who has access to important systems. Then identify weaknesses that are specific to your company's technology and the information it handles.
You don't need to solve every security issue in one afternoon. You do need to know which gaps pose the greatest risk so you can address them in a sensible order.
Protect Your Business Before a Hacker Tests Your Security
You don't have to run a large corporation to have something worth stealing. A small business may depend on several computers, several cloud accounts, customer records, and one or two financial systems to keep the workday moving.
Adept Networks IT services helps businesses in (opens in new tab)Spokane, Washington, Medford, Oregon, and throughout Southern Oregon strengthen cybersecurity, manage technology, protect networks, and prepare for problems before they become emergencies. Contact Adept Networks(opens in new tab) to review your current security and find practical ways to make your business a harder target for hackers.