We mentioned in October that 2013 marked an all-time high in
attempted
cyberattacks on our clients. It turns out we aren't the only ones noticing
the trend — around the world, hackers have stepped up their attacks on
companies of all types and sizes. Target's disastrous recent data breach has
grabbed headlines, but we want to emphasize to small and midsize businesses
(SMBs) that their smaller size doesn't make them immune. In fact, SMBs need to
be more on guard than ever.
According to Verizon's 2013 Data Breach
Investigations Report, companies with fewer than 1,000 employees accounted
for 40% of last year's data security breaches worldwide. In fact, 31% affected
companies with fewer than 100 employees. And when you rule out accidental
breaches, the numbers get even more eye-opening: Symantec's 2013 Internet
Security Threat Report says 50% of all deliberately targeted attacks were
aimed at companies with fewer than 2,500 employees.
Putting it bluntly, hackers see SMBs as low-hanging fruit:
1. An SMB's assets are just as valuable as a larger
company's, but its defense strategies are likely to be weaker.
2. Hackers have lots of smaller companies to choose from.
3. Hackers who compromise a smaller company's infrastructure
can then use it to springboard into the systems of its larger partners,
vendors, and customers.
