Sales and Marketing - Jen Jordan
Jen Jordan brings a wealth of life and leadership experiences to her writing. After 10 years creating a variety of content for a nonprofit, Jen decided to establish her own writing business. She specializes in creating high quality blog and website content for small businesses. When she's not writing, Jen is a competitive triathlete with a goal of completing a triathlon in all 50 states.
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Ransomware: Simple Steps to Protect Your Small BusinessYour small business is at risk of a ransomware attack. Small businesses are the target of 85% of ransomware attacks and account for 70% of ransomware victims. Ransomware is malicious software that locks access to your computer files, systems, and networks through file encryption. The criminals behind the attack hold your files, information, or network hostage, demanding you pay a ransom to regain access to your valuable data or systems. 1 in 5 businesses are brought to a standstill until the attack is resolved. The average period of a ransomware attack cycle is 300 days-almost an entire year. Ransomware victims must decide whether to pay the ransom, remain inactive, or lose the data or system access permanently. The Cost of Ransomware Attacks An average cyberattack costs about $200,000 and forces over half of small business victims to close within six months. Ransomware attacks can also damage your business reputation for a long time. The risk of compromised credit card and bank information scares customers and can leave them feeling betrayed. Disruptions to business operations not only cost your operation money now, but they can also lead to losing contracts and frequent customers. Additionally, it will take additional spending on marketing to recover a damaged reputation. Prevention is Key Almost one-third of small businesses lack a ransomware response plan or employee prevention training. Prevention is better than reactive damage control. Common ransomware attacks often include:
Over half of the ransomware attacks come from emails. Ransomware has not become more sophisticated because the same methods used for years continue to be effective for attackers. Simple Ransomware Prevention Steps:
Prevention is the top priority because ransomware attacks are costly, damage business reputations, and interrupt revenue. Stay educated on how attackers operate and share that information with your staff. Remind staff not to click on links in suspicious emails. Also, have staff report any emails they feel are not legitimate. Finally, consider security programs that will help you screen for and prevent attacks. Resources: https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/protecting-a-small-business-from-ransomware-on-a-budget https://www.law.umaryland.edu/content/articles/name-659577-en.html https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware/ransomware-guide https://www.extnoc.com/blog/how-is-ransomware-delivered/ https://ransomware.org/blog/rdp-ransomware-everything-you-need-to-know/ |
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