Ways to Protect Your Small Business from a Cyber Attack
Just because you are busy running your small business, doesn’t mean a hacker won’t notice. Unfortunately, small businesses are particularly susceptible to cyber-attacks, simply because they have fewer resources and may lack the knowledge, technology, or insurance protection to be prepared. Here are a few tips on which you can protect your small business from a cyber attack.
Understand what data is sensitive, and what data is not.
Credit card information is the most targeted type of cyber attack. But, depending on your type of business, there might be additional sensitive data you are holding – such as your customer’s personal information, account details, email, and phone numbers – that are valuable to hackers.
Educate your employees.
The more familiar your employees are about cyber attacks and how to protect the company’s data, the better off you’ll be. Send our regular reminders not to open attachments from unknown sources, and outline a plan of action for encrypting personal or sensitive information. Require your employees to regularly change their passwords. Provide training on common scam examples or potential hacking tactics.
Make sure you have the right cyber security partners.
Your cyber security is only as good as the businesses you partner with and the platforms you depend on. For this reason, ensure you have the following:
- WAF (web application firewall) in place to protect your website
- Is your eCommerce platform PCI-DSS (payment card industry data security standards) level 1 compliant? This protects you from online data security breaches across your payment network (not just one individual credit card)
- If you have a company hosting your website, does their staff regularly fix security vulnerabilities and provide updates to reduce cyber-attacks?
Secure hardware.
Did you know a data breach can also be caused by physical property being stolen too? If your business’ servers, laptops, phones, or other electronics are not secured and are easy to steal, you are at risk. Invest in security cameras and alarm systems, along with physically locking down computers and servers.
Hired security.
Consider hiring outside experts to evaluate your business’s risks. If necessary, help guard your property and data (both physical and online) by hiring security for your business.
Hertvik Insurance Group can also provide cyber consulting, risk management services, and cyber insurance. Cyber insurance covers your business’ liability for a data breach that includes sensitive customer information. This could include things like Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, driver’s license numbers, and even medical records.