Cybersecurity risks for SMEs that everyone should know about
The cybersecurity is a critical aspect in SMEs, yet it is not always given adequate attention. Smaller companies tend to think that they are not targeted by cybercriminals, or that they are subject to less risk than larger organizations. But that is often not the reality, and the truth is that any company that has computers with vulnerabilities and is connected to the Internet can suffer the consequences.
A very common mistake in these cases is that companies do not make backups. By not backing up their data online, the risk of losing vital business information is something that needs to be taken into account. Organizations need to encrypted backups and be able to restore them at any time, so that damage can be minimized in the event of any cybersecurity problem.
What types of cybersecurity risks the company faces.
Companies may face various cybersecurity risksThese risks require action to be taken in order to avoid major failures.
1. Ransomware
We are talking about a type of malware that can be highly harmful to users. It is a “data hijacking”, where we lose the ability to access our computer, where the information is encrypted. To obtain the key to decrypt the data, ransomware attacks usually ask for an economic amount.
Ransomware attacks can affect both large companies and SMEs. Without up-to-date operating systems, our computers are much more vulnerable to ransomware. Keep in mind that older systems such as Windows XP or Windows Vista can be a source of cybersecurity problems today.
2. Phishing
The Phishing consists of a deception technique to fraudulently obtain the user’s data. This data can be banking data, personal data, emails or any other type of information that the cybercriminal considers relevant. The entry point for phishing is usually fraudulent emails, where someone pretends to be a bank, institution or company to request data.
It is a huge risk to provide private information of any kind to unverified web pages. Whenever someone asks us for information or banking data, we must corroborate by other means if they are really asking for it. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that the Tax Agency will never ask us for information by e-mail, and that if it is a bank or a telephone company, we can verify through an official telephone number if they are really asking us for this information or not.
3. Denial of service attacks
The denial of service attack consists of an attack on a network or computer system, which causes this service to be inaccessible to users. This is usually done with servers, so an SME that has a website hosted on its server may be at risk.
It is often called a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack when an attempt is made to generate a high flow of data from different connection points to the same destination. This is usually carried out with a botnet. If a web server suffers this type of attack, the server may be down and our website would not be accessible.
When a massive amount of requests are made to a web server, it can run very slowly. The results can be catastrophic, such as the loss of sales in your online store due to the malfunction of the web or the impossibility to visualize temporarily.
4. Malware
Malware is a generic term for any malicious program or program that can cause problems on our computers. It is a cybersecurity hazard because generally malware will enter our computer through the Internet, although it could also do so through a USB stick.
It is of great importance that your company avoids downloading programs from unofficial sites. It is not legal to use pirated programs, so we must also be aware of the possible consequences that these can sometimes be malware that negatively affects our computer.
How to prevent cybersecurity problems in SMEs?
Primarily, there are two ways to achieve this. Through the preventive computer maintenance Always keep your computer systems up to date, avoid using obsolete operating systems and take security control measures to avoid falling into traps that cybercriminals can’t afford to fall into.
It is also of a great importance to have the computer maintenance services of a specialized company, since in this way you will always be able to turn to an expert in case of any need.
On the other hand, you have to prevent what could happen in the worst case scenario. If you make encrypted, external and automated backups, you will be able to recover the information even if you lose access to your computers, or your hard disks are erased, or the files become unusable.
