Quick Intelligence Blog

Some small business owners are under the mistaken impression that cyber security is only for larger enterprises. They often think, “why would a hacker want to attack my little business, when there are larger enterprises with more money and data to steal?” The reality is that small businesses are attacked often, they just don’t generate headlines the way larger businesses do. Unlike those large enterprises, 60% of small businesses will permanently close 6 months after a data breach. To avoid having your business close, read about the 6 big cyber security risks putting small companies out of business, along with tips on how you can minimize that risk.

The biggest area of economic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic was eCommerce. A press release issued by ACI Worldwide reported that most retail sectors saw a 74% rise in online sales in March of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This growth is great; however, it could lead to issues if online businesses do not take the appropriate cybersecurity measures. The following 3 cybersecurity issues can adversely affect your eCommerce business.

If you are looking for the weak link in the cybersecurity chain, you will find it in people. People make mistakes. Hackers are great at exploiting vulnerabilities in software, but the easiest vulnerability for them to target is people. People can be too trusting which can lead to hackers easily gaining access to systems and information.

Covid-19 has forced companies to develop work-at-home policies to keep office workers safe. While some corporate workers are heading back into the office, others are continuing with a WFH or hybrid workspace. While this helps keep workers safe from disease, it makes it more challenging to keep those workers safe from cyber-attacks? If you are worried about the cybersecurity of your remote office staff, here are three tips your remote office workers should follow to help keep their data secure.

Have you heard of social engineering? If you are worried that it is something complicated and technical, have no fear, it’s not. Social engineering is as old as time itself and doesn’t need fancy technology. Criminals and fraudsters use social engineering techniques to trick people into giving them access to restricted areas. Once the criminal has gained access, they can then use that access to commit whatever crime they wish.

Cyber attacks are growing every year. There are all kinds of stats out there to verify this: 78% of organizations worldwide were hacked in 2019. Additionally, 60% of small businesses close 6 months after a data breach. Yet, sadly, many organizations still fail to take cybersecurity seriously.

Cybersecurity is a must for today’s connected businesses. One of the biggest challenges, especially for smaller businesses, is the lack of financial resources to help defend against a cyber-attack. However, there are some tips that a business of any size, but especially a smaller business, can utilize to help protect themselves from a cyber-attack without blowing your budget.

ZeroFox announced yesterday that Quick Intelligence will be their Canadian Partner to extend their delivery of critical threat intelligence, digital risk protection, and adversary disruption services in Canada.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have announced the arrest of a 31-year-old Ottawa man in connection with a number of ransomware and cyber security attacks in Canada and the United States. Matthew Philbert was arrested on November 30 after a 23-month investigation that involved the OPP, RCMP, FBI and Interpol.

If you are thinking that your business is too small to be targeted by cyber criminals, think again. Many hackers think of small businesses as “low hanging fruit,” or as easy targets, since they don’t have big cyber security budgets to prevent an attack. The statistics also prove this to be true.