Did you know that 42% of small businesses consider ransomware to be the most significant threat they face today? That’s not surprising considering SMBs can lose over $100,000 per incident as a result of downtime. You might be thinking that your business isn’t a big enough fish to be spotted by cybercriminals, but that’s not the case at all.
Studies have shown that hackers find small businesses to be an easier target than larger corporations due to:
- Vulnerable security systems – Lack of or out-of-date anti-malware and endpoint security, network firewalls and email security solutions.
- Minimum formal security training – Absence of regular cybersecurity training for staff to avoid phishing email scams or improper data sharing.
- Weak security policies – Infrequent network monitoring, data on user-owned devices without encryption and poor password practices.
Just like a bank robber, hackers will go where the security is the weakest, even if the payout isn’t quite as big. This makes SMBs a prime target for ransomware since they tend to have weaker security systems and lack a full backup system. This can typically lead to businesses like yours paying the ransom to recover their data.
And if you are unlucky enough to be hit with ransomware and decide to pay the hackers, it is not uncommon that they refuse to provide the decryption keys or target your business again, requiring even more money the second time around.
This disaster will cost you money and impact your reputation – since customers are reluctant to entrust their data to a business with a poor security track record. But your business doesn’t have to be a victim. At Cards Technology, we have the experience, expertise and customized security solutions to prevent you from being the next victim.