Just because you are a small business doesn’t mean there are no cyber security risks, or they are less important than they are for big business. The criminals who attack your IT system don’t discriminate—they probe everyone for cyber security vulnerabilities, regardless of the business size. As small businesses spend less on cyber security they tend to have little or no cyber security capabilities to help protect their IT systems. And usually also lack the rigorous internal controls to identify and detect cyber threats that many larger organisations have in place.
The impact of a ransomware attack on a small business will be different for a small business. Small businesses may not have a backup in place and may not be able to recover lost information. There may also be a data breach with must be reported to a regulatory body. Many small businesses have gone out of business after a ransomware attack. Ransomware attacks lock staff out of their computers until a ransom is paid, if the ransom is paid there is no guarantee computers will be unlocked.
Digital platforms such as those operated by Amazon and Microsoft, have enabled small businesses to extend their reach around the world. These platforms can provide stronger cyber protection for firms on their platforms than many companies can manage to put in place on their own. But this does not guarantee immunity from cyber attacks. For all businesses small and large, the most vulnerable systems are the computers used to connect to the Internet.
Protecting your digital assets (computers and the information stored on them) starts with keeping your operating system up to date, updating all software, and ensuring your anti-virus software is operational and again kept updated. and finally, all small businesses should have a firewall.