It is happening to micro and small businesses every day!

Our times keep being interesting of late. First the pandemic sending us all to the online world and now the war in Ukraine and cyber-attacks used as a form of warfare are prompting experts to strongly advise citizens and organizations to be vigilant and to reassess and reinforce our digital security. We are beginning to see more and more requests for help in dealing with issues caused by cyber security breaches in micro and small businesses. According to Five Eyes (intelligence sharing alliance, of which Canada is a part of)” the war could expose organizations everywhere to cyber crime.”
Cyber security experts warn that cyber warfare is a problem that affects everyone. “Patriotic motivated hackers” attacks are indiscriminate crimes of opportunity. They might affect you as an individual, or they might affect you as a small business owner (one or two computer businesses are subjected to ransomware attacks and phishing scams that cripple their operations for certain amount of time causing loses, that might not be easy to overcome in our uncertain economy), as mentioned in a recent Global News piece: “Russia’s cyber warfare is a problem for ‘everyone,’ experts warn – National | Globalnews.ca“

If you are running a small business, you are more vulnerable than a large corporation because hacking you requires small or no effort. To protect yourself you must take steps. Here is a list of 3 best practices to follow to become more secure:

1. Education. The problems with cyber security keep on growing with phishing attacks on the rise. Learn / train your employees how to recognize phishing. It is extremely important to carefully review any messages that come your way, double-check the sender’s email address, and look for misspelled or poorly written text and/or false sense of urgency.
2. Software updates. Older applications often are vulnerable to a cyberattack. When you receive an alert of security update, install them immediately.
3. Conduct a security audit. Who has access to your data? Who should not have it? Do you have proper modern security software? Have an expert take a look at your network structure, data access and security. They should be versed in the newest developments in cyber security and advise you, should any changes be required.

Most importantly, trust your gut. If you feel that something isn’t right, you are being pushed too hard to deliver sensitive information or money, ask questions and or call the “sender” of the suspect message. Don’t click on the provided links, don’t send an email / message back asking for confirmation. Always use a phone.

When in doubt, turn on 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) on most sites that keep your sensitive information (personal data, financial information, credit card information etc.), update old passwords, make them longer than 10 characters, complex and unique. If you find this difficult, get a password manager to generate and securely save them. If you want to learn more about why it is a good idea to use password managers check out our post about 10 easiest passwords to crack.

And, as always, in case you are unsure of what to do or whom to talk to to make yourself more secure, do contact us. Our consultations are free.

Everyone does IT we make IT simple!