The recent targeting of the Goodwill Industries site is a reminder that no one is safe from the threat of hacking. Even small businesses are at risk from cyber criminals.

The vulnerability of small businesses to cyber crime isn’t always understood. Small businesses tend to target themselves as high-value targets for hackers, because they don’t have the resources to maintain strong security protocols. Hackers also target small businesses because they understand that those businesses often store larger amounts of valuable data, including credit card numbers, because they don’t have the resources to install and regularly update encryption software on a large scale.

Small businesses are also at risk from DDoS attacks – distributed denial of service attacks – in which hackers use a wide array of IP addresses to overload systems and knock them offline. This type of attack is especially dangerous for small business owners, as it can take down their sites for hours or even days, damaging their reputations with customers who may be put off by the poor performance and unable to reach them online.

Small business owners should be aware that they are at risk from hackers looking to steal their data or cause damage by crashing their sites. They should make sure they have adequate online security measures in place, and be sure to follow best practices when it comes to creating strong passwords and

Hackers are, without a doubt, the biggest threat to a small business. If you’re small, you may not think that you’re a target for hackers. After all, what can they get from your business? It’s certainly not as though you have millions of dollars in your bank account at any given time.

But the truth is that hackers will often go after smaller businesses simply because they think they’ll have an easier time. A small business owner may not be as tech savvy as a large corporation and therefore won’t be able to recognize a hack so quickly or know how to fight back when it happens.

And small businesses can be just as susceptible to having their data stolen as some of these larger companies are. In fact, the National Cyber Security Alliance says that 61 percent of all cyber attacks take place on businesses with less than 100 employees. So what kind of things can hackers steal from your business?

The recent data breaches in the news are enough to make any small business owner shudder. It’s hard enough to run a profitable company without having your company’s information stolen and used for illegal activity. Unfortunately, cybercrime is a growing threat for businesses today, no matter how big or small you are.

So if you don’t think your small business is at risk of being hacked because it’s not big enough or doesn’t have enough sensitive customer data, you may want to think again. Hackers know that many small businesses don’t take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from hackers, so they see them as easy targets.

Cyber security is a serious issue for businesses, large and small. In fact, according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 State of Cybersecurity in Small & Medium-Sized Businesses study, 61 percent of SMBs experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months.

These attacks aren’t limited to big corporations – 60 percent of all cyber attacks target smaller companies. This means that if you own a small business, you are at risk.

How do hackers choose their targets? And what can you do to protect your company? Here’s what you need to know about cyber crime and how it can impact your business.

Why Do Hackers Target Small Businesses?

SMBs are attractive targets because they often lack the resources and cybersecurity measures that larger companies have in place. For example, 32 percent of SMBs don’t have a full-time IT staff member dedicated to network security, leaving them open to new threats on an ongoing basis. Also, many small businesses don’t even have basic security measures like firewalls or antivirus software enabled on their networks.

The results of a cyber attack can be devastating for any business, so it’s important to put a plan in place as soon as possible. To get started, here are eight steps every

There’s no doubt that small businesses are at risk when it comes to cyber hacking. In fact, according to the 2017 State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses report from the Ponemon Institute, almost half of all attacks hit small businesses. “Cyber criminals target small and medium-sized businesses because they know SMBs have less security than large enterprises,” says Ryan Duquette, CEO of OpenKeychain. “This makes their networks easier to infiltrate, and the data more valuable.”

Hackers don’t discriminate against their victims. They’ll go after anyone who can be exploited for financial gain. And small businesses are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of cybercrime because they lack resources and awareness of this growing threat; but they also hold sensitive client information.

That’s why it’s important to educate yourself about the dangers out there so you can protect yourself against them. Here are three main threats every SMB should be aware of:

In 2015, the cyber security firm Symantec reported that small businesses are often targeted by hackers, and that 43 percent of victims identified themselves as being in the small business category.

If your business has ever been targeted by a cyberattack, you know the havoc it can wreak on your business. It’s estimated that the average cost of a data breach is $218 per record, which can quickly add up for a small business. In fact, 60 percent of small businesses fail within six months of a cyber attack, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance.

While large businesses often have dedicated security teams and IT experts on standby to help resolve attacks and protect their data, small businesses are left fending for themselves when it comes to cybersecurity. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to protect your small business from hackers and other cybercrimes.

When we talk about cyber-crime, our minds often go straight to hackers. We think of someone sitting behind a computer screen in the privacy of their own home, infiltrating government systems and stealing confidential information.

That’s because breaches like these make headlines, but they’re not the norm. While large corporations have to be concerned with these types of crimes, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are often victims of social engineering scams.

These attacks take place over email or phone and involve con artists who use deceit to obtain personal information or money from unsuspecting victims.

In fact, a recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that nearly half of SMBs experienced at least one type of social engineering attack in 2017. These attacks can include ransomware, malware and phishing scams — all targeting employees who may not have the proper training to protect themselves against threat actors.