Are Employees Your Weak Cybersecurity Link?

When you run a small business, not having cybersecurity in place can be extremely detrimental. Data shows that small businesses are the target of 43% of cyberattacks.

Other statistics relevant to small businesses as far as cybersecurity go include:

  • The average loss per attack is more than $188,000
  • One report indicates that 60% of small businesses close within six months of a cyber attack

There are some reasons that small businesses are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks, as well. These reasons include:

  • Small businesses lack the budget and resources to hire dedicated IT staff, although that can mean that it’s a good idea to consider managed IT services.
  • Small businesses don’t have the computer and network security to detect threats in time if they can detect them at all.
  • A lot of small businesses don’t utilize cloud services for offsite data backup.
  • Small businesses make for an easy target since there is limited protection

Another reason small businesses are frequently a target of cybercriminals?

Their employees.

Unfortunately, even the most diligent of employees can be a weak point when it comes to your cybersecurity strategy.

Employees typically don’t set out to leave your business open to cybersecurity risks and threats, but with a lack of knowledge, it’s possible for them to do so, and that can have disastrous implications for your business.

It’s difficult for employees to have a real understanding of the effects of their actions when it comes to cybersecurity. Employees often don’t get that their login credentials and email accounts are often a prime target for hackers, so they need to be educated on this.

Until fairly recently, the idea of cybersecurity was seen as a technological issue.

The remedy for potential cybersecurity threats was viewed as having the right filters and updates in place, but we’re increasingly seeing it’s a human issue.

The following is a guide on what you need to know as far as your employees and their potential to be a cybersecurity weak link.

Phishing Scams

One of the easiest points of entry for cybercriminals is often phishing. Phishing allows cybercriminals to potentially gain access to a range of sensitive information. With these attacks, your employees may receive email messages that look real and official and ask for information, or they may ask your employer to click a link.

Then, once your employee goes to the fake site created by the attackers, they’re asked to enter potentially sensitive information.

This information can be used by cybercriminals for identity theft, or they may sell the information on the dark web.

With phishing, scams have become increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect. You should regularly provide presentations to employees that show them what these attacks can look like, and test them to see if they’re able to identify them.

This is something you need to do frequently because the methods change often, and that means that your employees need to be kept up-to-date.

Using the Same Password Across Different Sites

Another big issue with employees is that they often use the same password or a similar password for all of their devices and logins.

This includes using the same password for their personal accounts. When employees are using the same passwords across multiple sites, including for their personal accounts, an attacker can get that employees’ credentials from one site and then use them to get access to multiple sources of information.

Installing Malicious Apps

Another issue that employees face is downloading and using malicious apps. An employee might download what they think is a legitimate app, but if it’s not legitimate, it could contain malware. If it contains malware, it could expose information contained on that employees’ device to various threats.

What Can Employers Do?

It can be scary to think about your employees as a potential source for cybercriminals to attack, but there are things you can do as an employer. You need to be proactive on your part and have an understanding of the threats before you can expect employees to do the same.

With that in mind, the following are things that you can do as an employer to keep your business safe from cyber threats.

  • Invest in the right training. Pretty much every weak point on the part of your employees stems from a lack of knowledge. These aren’t things employees are doing intentionally, but they just don’t know. It’s up to you as their employer to invest in thorough, appropriate training and make sure it’s regularly updated to reflect the evolving nature of the cybersecurity landscape.
  • Make sure you have the right tools in place. We discussed the fact that cybersecurity weaknesses because of employees aren’t necessarily a tech issue, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the right tools in place to make things as easy as possible for your employees. You should have a strong security software solution in place, and you might want to outsource the development of your security infrastructure to a third-party to ensure you don’t miss anything.
  • Set firm policies, including policies relating to remote work. One of the big risk areas for employees when it comes to cybersecurity is that the risk of a data breach is higher when employees are working off-site as opposed to in the office. You should have policies that employees are expected to follow when they’re in the office and also when they’re not.

Finally, if you don’t prioritize cybersecurity, how can you expect your employees to? You need to make it clear that cybersecurity is a top priority in your organization, and you expect the same to hold true for your employees.

It’s easy when you’re running a small business to push cybersecurity aside, but if you do that then even something small can slip through the cracks on your part or the part of your employees that that something small may end up being something you can’t recover from.

Everyone in your organization needs to be smart about cybersecurity, and it should be part of your ongoing business strategy.