Most businesses today are technologically savvy enough to realize that hackers and cybercriminals are getting smarter with hacking techniques.

It seems like no one is safe from cybercrime, including social media websites to email accounts at Facebook and Yahoo to financial giants like Equifax.

Before you tell yourself that your business is probably too small or insignificant to experience a data breach or that your antivirus software provides sufficient protection, here’s a stat that might change your mind— around 14 million small businesses in the U.S. are at a risk of getting hacked!

So how and why do cybercriminals hack a business and how can businesses protect themselves against a data breach?

Why Do Hackers Hack?

Hackers may target certain businesses for a number of reasons, however, there are some commonalities among all the reported incidents of small business hacking.

One of the most obvious reasons is financial gain. Small businesses are most susceptible to what is known as “ransomware attacks”. Once hacked, the businesses are typically coerced into paying a ransom for data and systems restoration. Businesses face difficulty in restoring their data themselves and are hence forced to pay the ransom.

Another reason why small businesses are attacked is because they may have access to valuable information, such as a client’s personal and financial details. Hackers take advantage of the fact that small businesses either lack the resources to have a monitoring and protection system in place, which makes small businesses more susceptible to the dangers of cybercrime.

How Do They Do It?

Phishing is one of the most commonly used techniques by hackers. The hacker does this by replicating your most frequently visited websites and attaches them as links or messages in emails. When opened, this link enables them to get access to your system and the virus or malicious software then begins to attack your system.

Remote logins using usernames and passwords are also susceptible to getting hacked enabling the hacker an access to the network’s resources. They may also send an email to reset or change passwords, which when complied to, gives the information to the hacker as well, who may then use it as they will.

Another way that hackers get an access to your system is if your WiFi gets compromised. An open wireless network is easily exploitable and the hacker might even sit right outside the business’s location and take advantage of the poorly secured network.

How Can Businesses Protect Themselves?

An experienced IT team is one of the best ways to protect your businesses from cyber attacks. In addition to that, businesses can take several steps to protect themselves, such as enforcing a strict and comprehensive password policy. These passwords should be complex and ideally be changed every 60 to 90 days.

Although an antivirus software is not completely impenetrable, having updated software in place is crucial for protection.

Network encryption is also an essential component of protecting your business and assets from cyber criminals.

We, at Think Technologies Group, provide managed IT solutions  to businesses across Florida. Based in Ocala – Corporate, Gainesville and Hollywood, our services include but are not limited to IT project consulting, cloud services and network security services.

Get in touch with us today to protect your business and IT infrastructure in a cost-effective way!