Large corporations are no longer the ONLY target of cyber criminal activities. SMEs (small and medium enterprises) have become more and more exposed to the dangers of the cyber world, which is why SMEs are having a hard time securing their systems and networks. Cyber criminal activities have reached the point where industry IT experts have started assuming that it as a universal threat and, unless security measures aren’t implemented, systems and data security are doomed. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single organization in the entire world that can claim that it has fool-proof cyber security. The biggest threat to SMEs is not the breach of their system. It is not realizing the fact that cyber criminals can target their small-scale businesses.
The reality is, cyber crime is costly to SMEs, causing them to lose millions of dollars each year. The US alone is on the top of the list of having the highest number of cyber criminal activities. According to estimates, the reported cases of cyber crimes account for about $700 billion every year and these figures are multiplying at a massive pace. The thing is, the culture of “cyber-stealing” is growing and individuals with hacking knowledge and expertise are considering it as a safe career path that has a lot to offer to them. That’s why con artists and highly organized crime syndicates are coming up with sneaky tactics to break into SMEs accounts to steal sensitive information from companies. In short, cyber crime is a reality and those who ignore it can expect to face troubles in the future.
What Do Cyber Criminals Usually Look For?
In order to protect your business from cyber crime, you need to implement a prevention plan that will push infiltrators away from your company’s servers. Since cyber crime is multiplying, SMEs need to adapt to improved network security protocols in order to prevent sensitive data from leaking. Hackers, intruders, cyber criminals, or whatever you name online scammers usually look for business data, bookkeeping and accounting records, vendor details, sensitive personal and client information, banking details, and more that can be sold on the dark web for money. Therefore, improving your system and network security can greatly help you to prevent costly loopholes in the system.
What Can Cyber Crime Mean For SMEs?
First thing first—business disruption with an immediate effect! Cyber criminal activities can be hefty for SMEs as they can cost them a sustainable competitive advantage and also, financial and reputational damage. Those who trust you with sensitive information and rely on you for certain important aspects like the security of data, secrecy of business transactions, the privacy of vendor details and larger business interests need not be disappointed. So, you need to ensure that business data is protected against all predictable or non-predictable cyber threats. It is ideal to keep proper checks and balances in places for preventing any leakage of information from company’s servers.
Keeping Your Business Safe from Cyber Crime
In order to protect your business from cyber attacks, it is ideal to create and implement your own security policy as it will give you more control over your company. Having a written, clear-cut security policy helps your employees know the menaces of cyber security threats and repercussions they might have to face due to an incident of cyber fraud. Also, you need to encourage your staff to shut down their computers once they leave the office and use complex passwords.
Cyber crime occurs when you fail to update your system and networks. You need to keep your operating systems, software, and browsers updated and install anti-virus software and firewalls for prevention of cyber attacks. Moreover, you need to be very careful with software installation as hackers are inventing new ways by which they can target SMEs that are vulnerable to cyber crime.
Hiring an IT Expert
Hiring an IT professional is the best way to secure your business from cyber criminals. SMEs can hire IT experts to ensure their data safety and network security when they fail to comply with network security protocols on their own. They are not as expensive as you may think. The choice to hire an IT expert is a fair trade. Spending money on data safety and network security is a wise move compared to what you could lose if you are not protected.
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