Why SMBs Are the Victim of Choice for Cyber Criminals

Cyber criminals are in the business of making money and typically quite savvy at their trade. While some focus on the highest payoff opportunity, cyber attacks targeting SMBs are accelerating. In many ways SMBs are a much more opportune victim for cyber criminals. Considered low hanging fruit, small to medium sized businesses typically overlook proper precautions and preparations to protect themselves, thus making them incredibly vulnerable to attacks such as ransomware and data theft.

SMBs are a Prime Target for Cyber Criminals

The number of employees at a small to medium sized business can range from a few dozen to a few hundred. In organizations of this size, it is not likely that a dedicated IT team will be constantly monitoring the cybersecurity of the business. Cyber criminals know this – in fact, they count on it. With little to no protection in place, SMBs are a sea of sitting ducks just waiting to be victimized by these sophisticated criminals. Due to their smaller size and lack of protection, SMBs are becoming the victim of choice for cyber criminals looking for minimum effort, low risk, yet high return cyber attack opportunities.

SMBs Face a Seemingly Lose-Lose Challenge

In 2020, more than 70% of ransomware incidents targeted companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. Companies of this size do not always allocate sufficient budgets that allow for the investment in dedicated IT employees or cybersecurity services to protect their infrastructures; while at the same time, they absolutely cannot afford the costly effects of a ransomware attack. Proactively or reactively, there is a cost to consider. While this is a seemingly lose-lose challenge faced by many SMBs, there is an additional perspective here: A ransomware attack doesn’t just inflict cost on the surface. In addition to the ransom or initial cost of the attack, there are also steep costs associated with the disruption of business and internal networks, along with potentially irreparable damage to the business’s reputation and customer relationships. Proactive measures must be prioritized for the overall health and safety of the business and its operations.

Preventing Cyber Attacks

Precautionary and proactive cybersecurity measures should be the standard for businesses of any size. If an SMB is handling employee, client or customer data in any digital capacity, they are responsible for the safety and security of that data. To remain proactive, small to medium sized businesses can consider creating or expanding their dedicated IT security team to lead cybersecurity efforts within the organization. Another proactive measure that SMBs can take is to ensure that thorough cybersecurity training is provided frequently for all team members and employees of the organization. An additional measure to ensure the safety of an organization’s data is to perform frequent and comprehensive backups of all data and timely tests of the restoration processes.

Securus360: The Lower Cost Cybersecurity Solution

If a dedicated IT security team and other recommended proactive measures are not a feasible option, consider a more cost-effective approach like Managed eXtended Detection & Response from Securus360. MXDR from Securus360 is proven to detect threats faster and more accurately across your entire infrastructure. This comprehensive cybersecurity solution utilizes an industry-leading AI-driven cloud native approach that combines machine learning, security automation and human intelligence to create a high speed and high touch cyber defense solution. MXDR from Securus360 proactively hunts, detects and helps neutralize advances threats before they can impact your business. Are you ready to protect your organization and its operations?

Contact Securus360 to schedule your cybersecurity evaluation and MXDR demonstration.