Ask Vikki: When it Comes to Hackers…Size Doesn’t Matter

Question: I’m a small business owner, should I be worried about cyberattacks? And if so, what should I do?

Answer: Studies show there are hacker attacks every 39 seconds affecting, one in three Americans every year. It’s important for you to get educated now.

Jeff Venza, Chair and Ceo of VENZA, Inc., a leader in data protection for the hospitality industry says, “Merchants should implement a comprehensive training program to educate employees on what they can do to protect sensitive data. Through regular phishing campaigns and education, employees will be more prepared to NOT fall for a phishing attack or social engineering scam. Remember, you are only as good as your weakest link. Also, because many organizations have more ‘remote’ workers than ever before, great care should be given in implementing Remote Monitoring & Management tools to ensure a virus doesn’t enter from the home office.”

According to Cybint 95% of all security incidents involve human error. Venza says they call this the ‘human firewall’. “Training and awareness must be performed and continuously refreshed to ensure the merchant minimizes the risk of an attack.”

The global monetary loss is staggering. An FBI report puts the number at $1 trillion in 2020 and predicts it will increase to $10.5 trillion by 2025.

“We don’t see the problem being resolved anytime soon,” says Venza. “Because ransomware is at an all-time high, the best thing you can do in addition to training and awareness is to work with your IT department or outsourced IT agency to set up cloud backup services so the merchant can restore important data and maintain business continuity.”

Bottom line, no matter the size of your business, failing to come up with a plan to deal with cyberattacks now is just not good business sense.