Weathering the Cyber Attack Storm

Cybersecurity is something you hear a lot about it in the news. You hear about a lot of big companies getting hacked, but what about the small businesses? You don't hear about them.

Small businesses often put their heads in the sand and there's a lot of fallacies from the point of view of the small business owner.

What are common small business fallacies with Cybersecurity?

• You may be too small but think about your clients, your customers. Who are they? You may be doing business with a much larger entity, and the hackers will get to them through you because you are the low hanging fruit.

• You are right about your data. It's not that important to the hackers at all, but it's important to you and you will pay very dearly to get your data back if you get hit with ransomware.

• Every industry is critical because of the interdependency of the economy. And again, going back to who your clients are, maybe you are not in a “critical industry”, but maybe one of your clients is. And the hackers are gonna go get to them through you. 

• Cyber insurers have gotten hit very badly with incidents of ransomware. They have paid they payouts and it's a big loss to them. Now, they're working to get smarter and for you to get cyber insurance, you have to have the proper cyber hygiene in place before you can even get it. They are looking to minimize their losses.

• While antivirus and firewalls have their place, a determined hacker will get through any protection technology. Hackers will keep trying and if they have enough resources and determination they are going to get into any network at any time. 

• Yes, cyber security can be a significant investment. But think of the cost to your business. You can potentially lose the entire business as a result of a cyber security breach. Think about that cost versus the cost of a proper cyber security plan. 

Best Approach is a Cyber-Resilient Strategy

It's not hopeless. Yes, hacker will get into any network, but there is a solution and it's called Cyber Resiliency. 

Cyber Security is a multi-pronged strategy where you have protective technology in place and you also have strategies on how to deal with what happens if the hackers get into your network.

What if your employee clicks on a phishing email and their desktop computer gets compromised? If you didn't have strategy in place, those hackers can move around your network and get from one computer to another until they get to crown tools, your data, and then it's too late.

Whereas if you have a strategy in place, you’ll have detection tools running that detects all exploitation on that particular system. You will have people monitoring those tools and they'll take an action to isolate that computer from the rest of the network.

In this scenario, the hackers can't do anything because you stopped them in their tracks. There was a cyber security incident but no breach occurred - that's where you need to get to with cyber security. It's a more comprehensive strategy using technology tools, people, and processes to enable that and to make sure that you are cyber-resilient. Again, the hackers may get through, but you could still sleep easier knowing that you have the proper strategy. A strategy that is not set and forget. It's continuous monitoring and watching the network. 

You as a business owner and your team need to simulate a potential incident to know what you are gonna do when a cyber attack happens.

Steps To Being Cyber-Prepared

We assess what you have where you're strong, and where you need more work. Then we put together an action plan. Lastly, it's not set and forget. The monitoring, management, maintenance, practicing potential cyber attacks are all ongoing. It's never sit and forget because the hackers are not set and forget either. They are very innovative and they will keep trying. So you as the business owner and your team need to be proactive and have a comprehensive strategy.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

"We help businesses to leverage their information technology to yield better business results. We learn about your business and what your objectives are, and determine what needs to change in your IT to get you there. Plus, we continually monitor and manage your systems, and provide security/protection, and ongoing support.

Our primary service area is New Jersey and Metro New York, with extended capabilities for clients with satellite offices in other locations"

Reach out to David today!