Guide to Online Security for Small Businesses

If you are a small business owner, you want to do everything in your power to protect your company. Regardless of whether you own a brick-and-mortar store or an online business, you should always secure your assets. That means ensuring the safety of your products, your services, your guests, and yourself. When it comes to taking care of your business, don’t underestimate the importance of protecting your website and network. In this article, we’ll give you a helpful guide to online security for small businesses and provide a few helpful tips to boost your Internet safety.

The Importance of Online Security for Small Businesses

Whether your store is physical or online, your Internet safety is still important. If a cybercriminal were to compromise your website, computer, or router, both you and your business could be in danger. Data leaks are not uncommon among business owners, and many companies are familiar with hacks on their websites and infrastructure. If this were to happen, you could lose access to important accounts and much more.

If a cybercriminal attacks your online web store, they can obtain sensitive information that they might use to access your finances or steal your identity. On top of that, the complications that arise from a cyber attack can take an indeterminate amount of time to recover from. That means your online store can become inaccessible to potential customers, resulting in less revenue. Cybersecurity attacks are a domino effect that causes many small businesses to suffer every day. This is why it’s so important to ensure that your business has the necessary online security.  

Common Cyber Threats for Small Businesses

Taking care of cyber threats can be challenging, especially if you don’t have the necessary online protection. Before you learn how to protect your business, however, you need to learn about the potential threats that small business owners face online. Many of these cybersecurity attacks can result in serious consequences, so it’s necessary to protect yourself, and your business, against them. 

Ransomware

Cybercriminals have been known to attack small businesses with ransomware in an attempt to shut them down completely. Ransomware attacks involve criminals locking their victims out of their computers, preventing them from accessing their personal data until they pay a ransom. This type of attack can be especially dangerous for small businesses that might not be able to afford the exorbitant ransom fee. 

Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks can come from many different places, but they occur most commonly over email. As a small business owner, you may receive an email from someone looking to make a wholesale purchase or ask about your services. Unfortunately, these emails can easily be phishing attacks in disguise. These attacks primarily involve criminals using social engineering techniques to trick victims into opening up dangerous file attachments or links. Ensure that your antivirus software performs a scan of your downloads, and never download any files from an email address that you don’t know. 

Spam Messages

If your business has social media accounts, you are likely to receive messages from customers and potential clientele. Thanks to the ever-changing landscape of cyberattacks, some bots have become sophisticated enough that they are indistinguishable from legitimate messages. That means you may receive a message from someone who appears to be a real user when, in fact, they are a fake account looking to deposit malware onto your device. If you receive messages that contain strange spelling errors or suspicious links with unusual characters in them, report the message right away. 

Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses

Online security for small businesses is less complex than it seems. Ultimately, there are many different ways for you to protect yourself, and your small business, from potential cybersecurity threats. Cyber attacks do occur fairly frequently but, with the right precautions, you can feel secure knowing that your personal information is safe. Take a look at the following tips for proper cybersecurity practices for small businesses: 

1. Use strong passwords, with a mix of numbers and letters, between 8 and 14 characters.
2. Turn on two-factor authentication on all of your devices and accounts.
3. Regularly update all of your hardware and software.
4. Create a backup database of your online inventory.
5. Get a powerful antivirus program.
6. Download a reliable VPN.

Cybercriminals are always exploring new ways to cause data breaches and launch attacks. This means that there are constant developments in the way that these malicious hackers target their victims. As a result, it’s impossible to completely protect yourself from an online attack. However, you can be prepared and protect your data when one does occur by using antivirus software and a powerful VPN. 

Protect Your Small Business with PrivadoVPN

Don’t go another day without protecting your business from potential cybersecurity threats. Download the PrivadoVPN app on all of your devices today to ensure total safety and privacy for your entire business. 

With PrivadoVPN, you get the ability to create up to 10 connections from one account, so it’s easy to protect all of your devices at once. Plus, with IP leak protection and unlimited VPN data each month, you never have to worry about going unprotected. Just open the app, choose from one of over 300 global servers, and connect safely using our 256-bit AES encryption. Save yourself time and money by signing up for PrivadoVPN today.