Quick Intelligence Blog

Businesses tend to think about insuring against typical things like theft, floods, and fire. Has your business ever considered insuring its data against theft? How about insuring your business against cyber attacks?

If you think your business is too small to be of interest to a cybercriminal, think again.  While big companies make the headlines for their data breaches, small companies are also an ideal target for hackers.  "Small businesses can be a really sweet spot for cybercriminals. They have more money to steal than a consumer and less security in place than a large business," said Kevin Haley, director of security response at Symantec. 

There is no doubt that ransomware continues to still be considered a big threat to businesses. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) warns in this report that the overall threat from cybercrime has increased during the past year, with more severe and high-profile attacks against victims. Particularly concerning for the NCA is the growth of ransomware "causing harm to our citizens and communities on a significant scale."

Is there such as thing as “just enough” cybersecurity? This is a question businesses have to ask themselves. Most organizations know that they need cyber security, but they don’t know how much security they need, they don’t know what to secure, or how to do it.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were warned about the cyber risks associated with a remote workforce. There is also a risk upon a return to the office.

If you own a small business, you may think that cybercriminals would not be interested in stealing your data. The reality is, that SMBs are targeted specifically by cybercriminals because they know SMBs are the easiest, most vulnerable targets to attack.

You may think your business doesn’t hold the same type of sensitive information as a large business, however, cybercriminals are betting that your SMB doesn’t have the same safeguards in place as large corporations. Cybercriminals consider SMBs as “low-hanging fruit” because they often lack the technical resources and expertise to maintain strong security defences.

The Cybersecurity threat landscape is constantly changing. It makes sense that your cybersecurity policies and procedures need to be updated regularly to address these changes. Couple that with the quickness of how the workplace is also evolving shows the need to update policies often.

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.