Hackers are becoming increasingly clever and conniving, while small businesses remain shockingly naive about the threat they face from cyber-attacks. This infographic conveys a clear message to all small businesses worldwide: You’re not as secure as you think. Far too many small businesses mistakenly believe that they are simply too small to be on hackers’ radars. The reality of the matter is that 72 percent of the known hacker breaches in 2011 affected businesses with 100 employees or less.
85 percent of small businesses believe they have taken adequate measures to keep safe from hackers. These small businesses seem to be living in a fantasy world because in reality, basic malware safeguards are lacking. 67 percent of small businesses do not use web-based security and 61 percent do not use antivirus on all desktops. 63 percent of small businesses do not have any security on systems used for online banking. Hackers can steal copyrighted material, medical records and bank account information from small businesses. The average cost to a small business from a cyber-attack is $188,242.
Most small businesses cannot withstand such a massive financial burden and are forced to shut down shortly after an attack. This is unfortunate because preventative measures are rather simple and cheap to implement.
Do you operate a small business? Have you taken the simple measures listed in this infographic to safeguard against hackers?
Infographic by Veracode Application Security