In recent months, it seems that a number of major and well-known national companies have been affected by hacking attacks that put their customers’ crucial financial and personal information at risk. However, some security experts say the companies that should be really concerned are those that are far smaller in size.
While attacks against major corporations grab headlines and can pay off big-time for the criminals who perpetrate them, they are also extremely difficult to pull off because those businesses invest significant amounts of money into protecting the sensitive data that was eventually stolen, according to a report from NBC News. So while there’s likely a lot of ill-gotten money in successfully arranging such an attack, it’s often seen as too difficult, and is therefore rarely attempted. However, there are no such concerns for hackers when it comes to small businesses.
Put simply, independent enterprises do not have the resources to devote to increasing their system security that larger companies do, the report said. And despite the fact that these businesses obviously control far less sensitive information, the ease with which they can be compromised is likely so great for experienced hackers that the attacks make themselves worth pursuing.
What solutions exist?
Because smaller businesses almost always don’t have the resources to run their own security, they can sign up for services that help to protect them instead, the report said. For example, a service that verifies the legitimacy of all digital transactions might cost a company a flat fee of $100 or more per month, plus a per-purchase fee, but that might end up being a comparatively small price to pay for companies hoping to avoid suffering a data breach. Other solutions, such as anti-virus and anti-malware programs to protect all systems are also usually a wise investment, but not one that should be leaned on too heavily on their own.
“Security is a dynamic environment,” Pat Calhoun, senior vice president at the computer security giant McAfee, told the news site. “It’s not just a single firewall and you leave it alone.”
Another thing that can help to protect companies in the event a data breach does occur is a comprehensive small business insurance plan designed specifically to help cover the costs associated with the fallout. These can run into tens of thousands of dollars or more, and could therefore be ruinous to even a successful small business, which is what makes having tech insurance so important.
