The effects of the pandemic are still on the rise, in fact, it never diminished. This is especially the case during the second wave, which is said to hit health and businesses right to the core. Trust me when I say this, the impact is big. Apart from the disruption of the health of millions worldwide, businesses have taken a darker turn of events.
The first wave had caused some major economic crises worldwide, where some companies had gone out of business. So, who’s to say what’s expected from the second wave? Most businesses have now started remote work all over again, due to the major outburst of the virus. And, because of that, all precautionary measures to secure it, must be given the utmost importance.
Among the many disadvantages created for businesses during the Covid-19, includes something that needs much more adhering to, and that is countless cyber hackers that add to the economic crisis.
For instance, have you any idea of the kind of cyberattacks that take place in light of the current situation? And something else that you should know, is that they not only target big companies but smaller businesses alike. In fact, the impact and havoc created towards smaller businesses are far worse in comparison. They have a lack of cybersecurity measures in place, compared to bigger companies. This is one of the main reasons why they’re targeted much faster.
So, what can one do to stop/slow it down? How and what kind of cybersecurity measures are required to help smaller businesses protect themselves?
How Does AI & Cybersecurity Help Small Businesses During the Covid-19?
The Pandemic has brought on many obstacles for business owners worldwide, and one of the biggest hurdles is the rise in cyberattacks. Most of these attacks are usually targeted towards smaller businesses due to the lack of protection. This is why we urge smaller businesses to actually take out the time and create measures that’ll secure their business in the long run.
If you take a look below, you’ll find a list of points regarding how AI & cybersecurity can help small businesses thrive:
Phishing Scams
The number one threat during Covid-19 is something called phishing. It’s when the perpetrator impersonates a renowned organization or someone from a source like WHO and scams business employees into providing certain bits of information or signing up for a newsletter etc.
If smaller businesses took up effective cybersecurity measures, they could lower the risks of falling for such scams. Most phishing attempts don’t entirely revolve around emails, but around text messages or even calls. There are many circumstances where you won’t be able to even tell the difference.
Remote Working Vulnerabilities
Most businesses have now shifted to remote work. For bigger companies, it might not be such a big issue battling it out against cyberattacks. However, it’s quite different for smaller businesses, especially when working remotely.
The security infrastructure isn’t the same as it used to be. This leaves plenty of opportunities for cybercriminals to take over weak or unprotected home WiFi, and hack into employee computers, stealing data.
There’s no dream team of IT personnel available to consult, which is why every employee needs to take active precautions on their own. If you read ahead, you’ll find a list of all the cybersecurity measures required for effective action.
Malware Attacks
Have you heard of malware? It comes in many forms, but mostly through a specifically designed software that’s purposed to infiltrate a computer system, latching on to it, causing damage to either the office PC, a weak network, the server, or the client.
It really varies. There are different kinds of malware attacks. A few of the more common ones are viruses, spyware, Trojans, Adware, Worm, Ransomware, and others. These malware attacks are designed to weaken a Network, hacking its way through in search of sensitive data and more.
With cybersecurity enforcement, you’ll be able to slow down these attacks a whole lot more than without any measures at all.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cyber vulnerabilities and threats against smaller businesses. But that’s why cybersecurity measures are crucial! If you take a look below, I’ve highlighted a number of ways that smaller businesses can protect themselves, regardless of working from home or not.
Effective Cybersecurity Measures to Secure Small Businesses
Firstly, what do you understand by cybersecurity measures? Would it be anything to do with a team of IT professionals? Absolutely not!
Cybersecurity measures is a collective term of the many ways to help your business thrive, by eliminating online threats.
Because smaller businesses, most of which are working remotely, have very weak or little to no cybersecurity measures, compared to big companies, they must take as many steps as they can.
And no, cybersecurity measures aren’t always expensive. Plus, if it’s your business as a stake, then a good investment in the right security tools is always worth it in the end. Of course, there are other methods, and you’ll see them below:
- Firstly, invest in top of the line cybersecurity software to protect your device and data. There are many circumstances where employees now have to work remotely – It’s inevitable. There’s no team of experts that you’ll be able to turn to for a quick fix since some things are required to be taken care of at the spur of the moment. Security tools like a Virtual Private Network, an Ad-Blocker, Anti-Virus, or even a password-generating tool can help protect large files or office data. A VPN software, however, sometimes offers many more advantages all in one, rather than buying into many tools altogether.
- Knowledge is always power. If you take a little time each day and find out all the ways that can help secure your business during these trying times, it helps in the long run. Employees need to train their staff about the value of cybersecurity and all that can go wrong if they simply weren’t aware. Most office employees sabotage businesses by accidentally clicking on phishing emails. If they were aware or informed on ways to tackle it, it could’ve been avoided.
- Password protects all your accounts with stronger codes. So, if in this way your data of the account is on the verge of getting compromised, the hacker will have a tougher time getting into the account. Also, use two-factor authentication. When a hacker is trying to break into your account the several attempts will alert you, prompting you to change your codes again.
- Always back up all your data, because if your account is ever compromised, you’ll lose all valuable data. In the same way, never keep too many miscellaneous files lying around. Always do a clean sweep and clear out anything you don’t need while backing up the more important ones.
- Update your system software and the security tools you use. Older versions are quite susceptible to cyber-attacks.
- Don’t click on malicious links or emails even if they look authentic. Head back to point one in this case too. As mentioned, research is always crucial. Look up the source, there are always certain details left out in phishing scams that set them apart from the real source.
To Conclude
Cybersecurity is important, and with that said, you’re going to need all the active precautions to help secure your small or large business, especially during Covid-19. It takes only a minute to click on a wrong link, or an attacker taking over a weak server or network, to cause your business a great deal of loss. So, make sure to consider the points mentioned above, share them along, and incorporate them into your daily work lives.