How would you feel to know from people that not only are they unable to log on to your website but instead being led to some porn site? Such a scenario resulting from hacking can be a nightmare for any business. It Itmisleads visitors and sends wrong signals to Google that can end in the flagging of the website by search engines and warning visitors who are potential customers too about the possibility of hacking their websites, explains Eric Dalius. The disastrous fallout of hacking compounds the problems further as companies find it tough to maintain employee motivation when the going is tough.
The above is an example of the kind of security threat faced by small businesses, soft targets for hackers, and online rogues. According to a report published by Verizon, the problem affects almost 43% of small businesses, as revealed during one year between November 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. The report covered all industries, but the most vulnerable ones were retail, healthcare, and accommodation, confirms Eric J Dalius.
Carrying on with the online marketing activities by protecting the business and customers from security breaches should be the top priority of small business owners who can reinforce their cybersecurity by following some of the best practices listed in this article.
Protect against phishing attacks by setting up methods for email account recovery
Businesses of all kinds and sizes are victims of phishing attacks, which are among the most significant cybersecurity threats. It will be hard to find businesses that did not encounter such a problem, increasing every year. Creating more awareness among employees and developing a security-oriented culture brings about changes in employee behavior and turns them more vigilant about identifying possible phishing attacks, bogus senders, and suspicious links that strengthen cybersecurity.
Does your company use a Gmail or Yahoo account? If yes, then adding a recovery number to your account can completely block automated bots from infiltrating into the system, 99% of bulk phishing attacks and 66% of targeted attacks.
Protect against ransomware with proper data backup
A flurry of cyberattacks revolve around the ill-famed ransomware attacks that hold your access to the system and data as a hostage and extorts money for release that has become a nightmare for small businesses, observes EJ Dalius. During 2019, ransomware attacks comprised 24% of cyber attacks and the second leading malware. It is a high-reward but low-risk option for hackers who prey on soft targets like small businesses that often cannot arrange for protection.
Engage a website security company
Continuous vigilance of websites with quick identification of possible threats is the salient feature of any sturdy cybersecurity system. It needs good understanding, knowledge, and cybersecurity skills to fight off the threats, which is not possible for small businesses to do independently.
Outsourcing the services to a cybersecurity company by subscribing to some package is the best option to protect small businesses from cyber attacks and achieve the business goals.
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