{"id":3511,"date":"2016-05-02T06:46:36","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T06:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/?p=3511"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T08:23:08","slug":"why-smbs-are-just-as-vulnerable-to-cyber-attacks-as-large-organisations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/why-smbs-are-just-as-vulnerable-to-cyber-attacks-as-large-organisations\/","title":{"rendered":"Why SMBs are Just as Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks as Large Organisations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Isaac George, SVP and UK Regional Head at Happiest Minds has outline why small businesses are just as vulnerable when it comes to cyber attacks as larger ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2012, there were 300 times more cyber attacks on small businesses than in 2011, and since then, the numbers have been rising year-on-year. Smaller businesses, either limited by strategy or finance, tend to have weaker or lesser <\/span>cyber security<\/span><\/a> in place, which makes them easier to attack,\u201d said George.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoreover, a lot of small businesses have Fortune 500 companies and other large organisations as clients \u2013 this means that by hacking the small business, the hackers can gain access to their larger, high profile clients.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are George\u2019s top six tips that smaller businesses need to think about with regard to securing their businesses:<\/h2>\n

1. Understanding the risks<\/h2>\n

The first step to securing your business is to learn what threats and vulnerabilities exist, and where these threats could be coming from. <\/span>A robust <\/span>vulnerability management system <\/span><\/a>can help<\/span> you and your security team <\/span>identify and prioritise<\/span> need to know<\/span> what\u2019s out there. <\/span>Organizations can also leverage threat intelligence integration to gain deeper insights into emerging risks<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Create and implement a security policy<\/h2>\n

The next step is to create a security policy that involves strict protocols, for both everyday security and for situations where your security has been compromised. <\/span>Partnering with trusted <\/span>cybersecurity solution providers<\/span><\/a> can make this training more effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Train everyone on security<\/h2>\n

Everyone in the organisation needs to be educated on the potential risks and threats and has to be trained in the business\u2019 security practices. There can be no exceptions; believe me, it takes just one person breaking protocol to give hackers the opportunity they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Maintain physical access control<\/h2>\n

While securing your network is important, controlling physical access to networked devices is also critical. An unauthorised person accessing a device could easily compromise your security.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Password protect and authenticate<\/h2>\n

Every system in the organisation must have a unique password and only authorised employees should be in the know. Wherever possible, your vendors must also employ multi-factor authentication to further secure access, and all software that employees install on their systems must be approved by your security personnel <\/span>or your trusted cybersecurity solution providers.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Secure mobile and Wi-Fi access<\/h2>\n

Every employee is sure to have a mobile device, whether it\u2019s a smartphone or a tablet, and every one of them is likely to want to connect to the company Wi-Fi. If your company culture allows this, I recommend mandating the installation of security apps on these mobile devices, as well as maintaining constant Wi-Fi access control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook vulnerability allowed hackers to access personal and payment information<\/h2>\n

Bitdefender has discovered a significant vulnerability within Facebook which allowed hackers to access any user account through simple social login manipulation. The attacker was able to gain access to personal user information, a contacts list for potential malware distribution and payment information \u2013 allowing purchases to be made in the user\u2019s name.<\/span><\/p>\n

The attack vector in this case \u2013 social logins \u2013 are an alternative to traditional authentication. This form of access offers users a convenient way to sign in to their web accounts without entering their username and password, with a majority of websites offering social login through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google Plus. Bitdefender researchers identified a method to steal a user\u2019s identity and access their account using Facebook\u2019s Login plugin, <\/span>highlighting the need for a strong vulnerability management system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ionut Cernica, vulnerability researcher at Bitdefender and the researcher behind the discovery of the flaw, stated: \u201cThis is a serious vulnerability \u2013 it allows attackers to log in on most websites that feature Facebook Login. This means an attacker can make payments on the user\u2019s behalf on an e-commerce site, for instance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital dependency at work can make information vulnerable to loss, theft or cyber attack<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaspersky Lab has been investigating the presence and impact of \u2018digital amnesia\u2019 in the workplace, finding that 44 per cent of business people admit that typing notes into a digital device means they miss valuable contextual, emotional or behavioural clues that are vital for accurate understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Gorkan Ahmetoglu, Lecturer of Business Psychology at University College London, said: \u201cIf one is very familiar with what is being said, then being present \u201cin mind\u201d may be a more effective way to absorb the full bucket of information presented than by noting it on a device \u2013 letting our working memory connect the dots in real-time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaspersky said that the greatest risk of leaving a conversation entirely in the memory of a digital device is that this information is vulnerable to loss, theft or cyber-attack; in which case the record could be lost forever. <\/span>Businesses can reduce this risk through <\/span>threat intelligence integration<\/span><\/a> to monitor and protect sensitive information across devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere may be increasing tolerance in the workplace for people having to check their devices for details, but few will appreciate having to hold a meeting for a second time as people can\u2019t remember what was said.\u00a0 Digital Amnesia in the workplace represents a risk \u2013 but also an opportunity,\u201d said David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds us that devices and people work best when they work in partnership, one capturing the facts, the other the feelings that give them meaning. Protecting all devices that are used to support memories and understanding should be a priority for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Published In: PCR-Online<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\r\n \r\n <\/i>\r\n <\/a>\r\n 0 <\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Isaac George, SVP and UK Regional Head at Happiest Minds has outline why small businesses are just as vulnerable when it comes to cyber attacks as larger ones. \u201cIn 2012, there were 300 times more cyber attacks on small businesses than in 2011, and since then, the numbers have been rising year-on-year. Smaller businesses, either […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[546,139,118],"tags":[400,919,1639,1681],"class_list":["post-3511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyber-security-2","category-security","category-threat-management","tag-cyber-security","tag-cyber-attacks","tag-threats-and-vulnerabilities","tag-vulnerability"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3511"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15711,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3511\/revisions\/15711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.happiestminds.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}