Falling victim to cybercrime can be devastating for your business, so do you know how secure your organisation is?
There is a common misconception that smaller businesses are not worth attacking, and this can lead to a more relaxed approach to security among SMB leaders.
1000 SMB’s who don’t upgrade their operating systems and thousands of staff who use simple passwords (who hasn’t used Password123 at some point?) actually mean that the economies of scale make them a very appealing target and a massive potential payday for the entrepreneurial hacker.
However, ease of access isn’t the only reason SMBs can make a tempting target. Whilst large companies can afford dedicated staff to focus on separate disciplines in security – from vulnerability management to audits to risk management and incident response – SMBs, understandably, often lack the necessary in-house experience of dealing with cybercrime.
It’s not all bleak though, taking some simple steps and the time to understand the risks can significantly reduce your chances of cyber-attack.
Getting the basics right, like ensuring that your staff are educated and building a culture of security and awareness is the best place to start, before you consider investing in expensive software or new hardware. For a crafty hacker after all, there is no need to break through a strong firewall when the front door has been left wide open!
Most cyber-attacks exploit basic vulnerabilities in IT systems and software, something you can prevent by using the Government backed Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essential Plus programmes. Cyber Essentials is a simple, but effective initiative that will help you protect your business against the most common cyberattacks, and the best place to start identifying the biggest risks to your company.
Cyber Essential sets out five controls to significantly reduce your company’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks and is suitable for businesses of all sizes, in all sectors. This is a great starting point for any business and covers the following key areas:
- Internet gateways and boundary firewalls
- Secure configuration
- Access control
- Malware protection
- Patch management
Undertaking a Cyber Essentials Assessment will help you to identify areas to improve your security and also demonstrate a level of assurance to your suppliers and customers by showing that security controls are in place to protect the business. Cyber Essentials Certification illustrates to all that these controls have been assessed against an independent, formal framework.
Visit https://www.ktdonline.com/cyber-essentials/ to learn more or contact us on 01539 733288 or sales@ktdonline.com to ask questions and have a conversation about how we can help you prove your expertise with the Cyber Essential Certification process.
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