Announcements of major security breaches and new internet threats have become commonplace. Attacks against small businesses are on the rise. Data breaches leading to disruptions, administrative downtime, and other costly issues have increased dramatically year over year.

One particularity sobering statistic from the 2017 SonicWall Annual Threat Report was the fact that Ransomware attacks grew 167 times from just 2015 (with 3.8 million) to 2016 (with 638 million).

Since Ransomware is one of the most damaging types of Malware for a small business, the environment in which we operate our computer systems has clearly changed to a degree we cannot ignore.

You may have already concluded that computer use, whether business or personal, has become riskier than ever before. However, we find that many business owners haven’t yet implemented the necessary changes to protect their data because other priorities have come first.

Unfortunately, the latest statistics around malware tell us that we must place network security higher up on our list of priorities than ever before.

A Concern for Your Business

Because of the rapid growth of malware incidents, even many previous years free of malware problems does not indicate a lack of risk today. And, unfortunately, because of the tremendous increase and sophistication of current attacks, solving the problem has become more complicated. Even Microsoft’s recently released patches for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities caused significant problems of their own.

Alarmingly many small to medium-sized businesses underestimate malware dangers because of a false belief: cyber criminals do not target small businesses. Nothing can be further from the truth and it has been reported that over 2/3rds of attacks are directed at small businesses.

The is largely driven by the fact that small businesses often lack the expertise to combat these cyber criminals.

Strengthened Security

The good news is strengthening your overall security with the help of an experienced IT consulting firm can lead to an effective malware protection strategy. Leveraging their expertise can enable the required controls without the loss of staff productivity.

In addition, conducting security awareness training for all employees decreases malware susceptibility.

Learn to recognize social engineering, such as tech support scams and cold callers can dramality reduce your risk both at the office and even at home.
Make sure you do your best to remain informed on the latest malware trends and educate your staff as well.

Practice safe online browsing by using strong passwords and secure connections. With increasing network threats, consider this protection as vital as seatbelts and locks.

Don’t assume your bases are covered, especially as a small business owner. After all, strong network security can drastically reduce liability and prevent production loss. As the saying goes, “It’s better to be safe than sorry!”