Cyber Criminals Going After Small Businesses
As technology became a way of life and intertwines with our business operations, it has become a target for criminals around the World. Network infrastructure/and the devices housed within them, become weapons of destruction for small businesses. Already struggling from the financial impacts of the pandemic, small businesses are ultimately failing. Having to close their doors after a devastating attack from an unseen attacker. On July 27, 2021, the United State Senate held a hearing, regarding the ever-growing ransomware attacks on businesses in the United States. Highlighting the fact that small businesses aren’t immune or excluded from being a target. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in his opening statement said:
"Ransomware does not just affect the deeper pockets of large companies like Colonial Pipeline and JBS. An estimated three out of every four victims of ransomware is a small business. Small businesses already operate on thin margins, and many have been pushed to the brink by the pandemic."
The most shocking piece of information provided in the opening statement was how easily criminals can deploy the attacks. Many of us have heard of the cloud and the easily accessible programs that make our lives easier. From QuickBooks to GoDaddy, these providers maintain our accounting tools or host our websites, without us worrying about the infrastructure or the code behind it. Making it easier for small business owners to focus on their tasks.
Now imagine that a similar type of environment is offered to criminals. In Senator Grassley’s opening statement, he mentioned countries that house criminal organizations that offer “Ransomware as a Service.” Making it easier for the criminals to deploy and maintain attacks. So don’t think that as a small business you are not a target! With ease of deployment and automation the attacks can reach all types of companies. As the giants of the corporate world strengthen their defenses, it is going to be the small guy, the low hanging fruit that criminals go after.
How can you strengthen your cybersecurity as a small business?
For the ever-growing need of cybersecurity Radkon is offering an affordable package for small businesses to get them started on the basic security needs. Just as Jeremy Sheridan, director of the Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Forces pointed out “Even simple steps – such as keeping operating systems, software, and applications up-to-date and patched, or making sure that anti-virus and anti-malware solutions automatically update and run regular scans can significantly raise an organization’s defensive posture.”
Radkon goes a step further and includes 24/7 cybersecurity monitoring service with the basic package. By utilizing artificial intelligence and veteran cybersecurity experts. They monitor, isolate and remediate threats on your devices. During the initial implementation, Radkon will work with you on creating a timeline of your cybersecurity needs with an included risk assessment.
As Dick Durbin (D-IL) pointed out “Though any person or entity can be targeted in a ransomware attack, it has been estimated that small businesses make up over half of the victims. And these attacks can have permanent damage. Last year, it took an average of nine months for a business to fully recover from a ransomware attack.” Keeping these statistics in mind, can your business survive an attack? Are you prepared? Let us help you travers the unknown waters of Cybersecurity. Contact us today for more information, and to start the journey of strengthening your defenses.
More on the Congressional Hearing
