There is a misconception that small and medium sized businesses (SMB) are not int he cross-hairs of hackers. While breaches at big corporations like Target and Home Depot make the headlines, smaller organizations are still very much targets for hackers and have been hit, some never recovering from the breach.

Smaller to medium sized businesses fall into hackers’ cyber security “sweet spot”, they have more digital assets to target than an individual consumer has, but less security than a larger enterprise. They make such appealing target because hackers know these companies are a bit more lax about security.

Here are some statistics that may surprise you:

• 97% of smaller companies neglected to prioritize online security improvement for future business growth.

• 82% of smaller business owners saying they’re not targets for attacks, because they don’t have anything worth stealing.

• Business Risk Index from insurance provider Travelers confirms just 23% of small businesses say they “worry a great deal” about cyber risks and data breaches.

Interestingly, hackers may not target your SMB specifically, but it’s highly plausible that since attacks are performed by automated software, you could get swept up in a broad-reaching attack. The minute you put up a website, it’s going to get scanned for vulnerabilities by bad guys. Your website is a server that can be taken over which could lead to a myriad of cyber security issues.

So now after reading the sobering information above, if your an SMB you may be asking yourself:  What can I do to protect my business information and reputation?

While there is no “silver bullet”, performing a cyber security  assessment can tell you where your greatest risks and vulnerabilities are and steps you can implement to protect yourself. Becoming more aware of how and where you place your confidential data is a good first step in protecting your data but that is just the begging of a secure business.

A cyber security assessment allows you to see what possible exposures your data has and work towards reducing your organizations risk by applying controls to mitigate or reduce the risk.  If you are interested in learning more about Proactive Cyber Security’s Cyber Security Assessment program send us an email.