Technology Unwrapped

Phishing attacks continue to be one of the leading cyberattack methods targeting small businesses. With a cyberattack occurring every 36 seconds, hackers are relentlessly trying to steal your company or personal information. One of the ways they collect data is by providing you with a link to click. They are hoping you don’t know the signs and signals that the intent of their request is malicious.

According to the University of Maryland, an average of 2,244 cyber attacks occur daily. That’s one attack every 30 seconds. With the gradual sophistication of attacks, it is important to train your staff on what to watch out for. Firewalls, email spam filtering, multi-factor authentication (MFA), endpoint protection, and backups do their job, but, in the end, training employees is the best way to keep your business safe from a cyber attack.

With over 830 million members in 200 plus countries worldwide, LinkedIn is a great tool for business professionals to utilize. LinkedIn differs from its social media counterparts with its added ability to search and recruit for jobs, strengthen professional relationships, and pick up on tips colleagues have learned.

Email is one of the core connectors for both internal and external communication. Millions of emails are sent daily to update, inform, advertise, and more. But security measures, such as email encryption, must be instilled when the email contains confidential information. 

Cybercriminals use ransomware to infect a network or desktop and lock or encrypt vital files and data until a ransom is paid. The ransom could be high and financially debilitate a business. More often than not, sensitive data isn’t released even after the ransom is paid. The only guaranteed result of paying a ransom is the cybercriminal receiving funds to keep harming other businesses. 

Ransomware is malware that infects a system or network and either locks the device or blocks off files until business owners pay a ransom. Ransomware and data breaches can be catastrophic to a business that doesn't take proper security measures and is vulnerable to attack. They are either crushed by the financial loss of downtime or by the permanent loss of confidential, sensitive data – data that could be sold on the dark web or used to harm customers and employees.

Hackers continue to refine their intrusion techniques to create more sophisticated attacks. But they still use tried and true methods. One is a brute force attack, a trial-and-error hacking method to crack passwords, login credentials, and encryption keys. They systematically try or steal, different usernames and passwords until they log into the system correctly.

You have installed layered security systems, and created backups, onsite and offsite. You may have even hired the best Omaha IT professionals to monitor your security, and yet, your business is still at risk. How can this be? You may be thinking the answer is because of the constant sophistication of cyber-attacks, and you are not wrong about that. However, the greatest weakness and biggest risk to your small business IT security is your staff, the people who are in your system every day. 

  For small to midsize businesses, there is a lot to lose when ransomware successfully makes its way into your computer system or network. The financial loss alone could close a small business down. Organizations with fewer than 500 employees spend an average of nearly $3 million per incident, and about 60% of small companies close within six months of a successful attack.  Unfortunately, other natural consequences come with cyber attacks. Omaha businesses need to be aware of the following: