Why You are at Risk!

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Peter Alexander: Tech Trends
Is Your Biz Safe From Internet Security Threats?
Spyware, viruses and hacker attacks can be devastating to small businesses. Here's how to protect your company from internet security threats.
By Peter Alexander | July 11, 2005
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Many small-business owners assume that large corporations are far more vulnerable to internet security threats than they are. In truth, however, it's often the other way around. For example, the destructive Mydoom worm affected one out of three small and mid-sized businesses--but only one out of six large enterprises, according to the Internet Security Alliance, a non-profit organization that provides a forum for information security issues.

Because they have a false sense of security and assume they're not at risk, many small-business owners don't adequately protect their computers and networks from spyware, viruses, worms, hacker attacks, customer data theft and other security threats. In addition, with so many balls to juggle already, entrepreneurs often put computer security far down on their to-do lists--if it makes the list at all.

The result: Nearly half of all small and mid-sized businesses haven't taken the most basic security precautions, such as installing antivirus and anti-spyware programs, reports research firm AMI-Partners.
Why You're at Risk

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There are several reasons why your computers, network and the data that resides on them are at greater risk now than ever before.

* Enterprise network security is harder to breach. In recent years, many corporations, impacted by internet threats and in order to comply with strict security measures required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations, have significantly bolstered their network security. As a result, criminals are increasingly turning their attentions toward easier hacker targets--small businesses.

* Unprotected systems are easier to find. Many hackers now have software tools that constantly search the internet for unprotected networks and computers. Once discovered, unprotected computers can be accessed and controlled by a hacker, who can use them to launch attacks on other computers or networks.

* Computer security threats are more sophisticated--and more damaging. Spyware authors are busy creating pernicious programs that resist removal, perpetually mutate, and spread across the internet in minutes. Meanwhile, blended threats, which assume multiple forms and can attack systems in many different ways, are on the rise. Small businesses without adequate, updated security solutions can easily be victimized by these and other threats.

* Threats often come from within. All too often, security breaches don't come from outside the company but from within, either intentionally or unintentionally. For example, an employee may unknowingly download spyware while playing an online game or visiting a website. Small-business systems are more vulnerable to employee tampering simply because they often lack the internal security precautions of a larger enterprise.

* The resulting impact of a security attack is greater. Small businesses often lack the financial resources that large companies have to bounce back from security attacks. Suppose you're an online retailer and a hacker launches a denial-of-service attack against your website. Do you have the necessary insurance or funds to recover from the subsequent loss of revenue--not to mention the damage to your business's reputation?