RANSOMWARE IS A CONSTANT FOCUS OF CYBERSECURITY
One of the sneakiest threats to your business’s data security is ransomware (aka malware). This software is designed to lock you out of your technology until you pay a ransom, with the most recent payments averaging over $1 million. This happens to major corporations, government entities, schools, hospitals and, frequently, small businesses. In 2021 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received almost 4,000 ransomware complaints*. And the numbers just keep rising.
SMALL BUSINESSES EASY TARGET OF RANSOMWARE
According to the FBI, between 50 and 75% of ransomware victims are businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Worse, well over half of small businesses don’t have a cybersecurity program*, leaving them vulnerable.
Because hackers know that small businesses are less likely to invest in powerful cybersecurity, they attack small companies in volume, buckshot style. They know that many of these companies will pay the ransom, as they simply can’t afford the downtime of a full-on ransomware attack, which can result in customers fleeing to their competitors.
TIPS FROM TMPC
- Do not pay a ransom, and report ransomware attacks to the FBI.
- Have proper policies and checks in place to ensure that all of your company’s devices are regularly updated and that patches for identified vulnerabilities are deployed system- wide.
- Back up data frequently and keep backups separate from the networks they back up.
- Have a thorough incident response plan.
IMPLEMENT PROFESSIONAL A PROFESSIONAL CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM
For more information, visit our site where you can find out more about the ways we can help stave off ransomware attacks to help keep your business on sure footing.
- Privacy Compliance for Business Clients.
- Cybersecurity for Government Clients.
Keep your data safe. Keep the bad guys out. Keep your customers.