Even Small Companies are Being Targeted by Hackers

A recent survey released by Symantec Corporation (one of the leading providers of security software) showed that "40% of all attacks launched between the beginning of 2010 and July 2011 specifically targeted small and medium-sized businesses. Kevin Haley, Symantec’s director of security technology and response, said given the common objective of a computer breach is to steal financial data, the focus on smaller businesses came as no surprise."

Many small companies see themselves as being below the radar and not likely to be the subject of a hacker attack.  But, as it says in the attached article, hackers see smaller companies as easier targets because they don't put as much emphasis on locking down systems in particular and security in general.   Often, one password hack is all that's necessary.   Also, smaller companies are less likely to be vigilant about patching their systems and ensuring their antivirus software is current and running. 

What can you do?   There are several easy steps you can start with:

a) Enforce a good password policy with strong passwords and password lifetime limits,
b) Ensure your systems are continually and automatically being patched with the latest security fixes,
c) Invest in a good "unified threat management" firewall,
d) Invest in centrally-managed antivirus software,
e) Continually monitor points (c) and (d),
f) Educate employees to the risks, encourage them to be suspicious.

Click here to see the full Financial Post article.