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Business People Seek Protection Against the Threat of Cyber Attacks

Everyone is vulnerable when it comes to cybersecurity. One cyber expert goes so far as to say that realistically, every website is under constant attack.


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James L Katzaman

2 years ago | 7 min read

On a 1-to-10 scale, many owners are pinging from the danger

Photo by Stillness InMotion on Unsplash

Everyone is vulnerable when it comes to cybersecurity. One cyber expert goes so far as to say that realistically, every website is under constant attack.

What precautions should small-business owners take? Are any fortifications such as two-factor authentication enough?

Marketers Teodora Ema Pirciu, Ivana Taylor and Iva Ignjatovic hope that security steps they have in place will stand up to the online onslaught, although no one can speak with any certainty in today’s world of one data breach after another.

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Pirciu is a content marketing strategist and content writer, including another venture in which she created her own paper planner.

Taylor owns DIYMarketers, a company “committed to helping small business owners get out of overwhelm.” Ignjatovic is a marketing, strategy, leadership and business consultant.

They talked about their common interests in small business and cybersecurity. Avoiding a hacker’s clutches might be a matter of good fortune rather than skill.

“I haven’t been hacked yet, but it’s all luck,” Pirciu said. “I’m very anxious when I think about this.”

Taylor, on the other hand, has had her share of unwanted experiences.

“My social accounts have been hacked, my website has been hacked,” she said. “The social account hacks weren’t even that hard, but my website hacks were horrible.”

That is not unusual or a surprise. Help Net Security says cyber risks top today’s worldwide business concerns.

“My client’s Facebook page has been hijacked,” Ignjatovic said. “It’s not hacking, but a person who used to take care of it changed the password — unhappy for being replaced.”

Beyond Anxious

Such attacks from the inside point to increasing risks to business data and information.

“I’m anxious and constantly paranoid,” Pirciu said. “I don’t click on anything that looks even a little suspicious. I have a different password for everything and two-factor authentication wherever possible.

“I’m not doing enough,” she said. “I started following information technology experts on social media to stay educated about this topic. I’m also writing for companies in this field. I’m not doing enough, but I will get there. It’s a goal.”

Taylor feels better about her measures.

“I’m not too worried about my business data,” she said. “I don’t keep customers’ payment information or any sensitive data.

“I’ve been hacked and had my email hacked,” she said. “It took forever to fix — not until I rebuilt the site last year and I got everything cleaned up.”

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One cyber deterrent is using good data as part of an overall content plan.

“I keep several backups, and nothing sensitive is out there,” Ignjatovic said. “Also, I have pretty good virus protection. I’m very careful with unfamiliar links and web destinations.”

Good cybersecurity counteracts the inherent risks of using social media for business.

“The risks of not using social media for business seem higher — different, but higher,” Pirciu said. “You just need to be careful and not share your passwords with random people.”

Zeroing in on Finances

Taylor has dealt with cyber and other threats on a regular basis.

“Cybersecurity is a real threat — especially financial information,” she said. “If you carry sensitive client info, the risk is real — especially if you aren’t using secure passwords and other things.

“Hackers get whatever we share, and we share a lot,” Taylor said. “Can you imagine the neural networks and artificial intelligence that analyze our data?”

Dark Reading confirms that businesses suffered 50 percent more cyberattack attempts per week in the last year.

“Social media and cybersecurity are linked,” Ignjatovic said. “Update your passwords and make them complex. I know that just because I can share anything doesn’t mean I should.”

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Data backup is a key cybersecurity measure.

“I backup my work stuff online,” Pirciu said. “I need it because I tend to destroy my devices. I have that hidden talent, unfortunately.”

Modern backup is not restricted to hard drives.

All of my information is in the cloud,” Taylor said. “For my business, cloud storage security is better than my misplacing a hard drive or destroying it.”

From the corporate angle, DIYMarketers has posted an article, “QR Codes Guide: 37 Creative Ideas for Small Businesses.”

“Certain information I backup on another partition, some on a separate hard drive,” Ignjatovic said. “Some really sensitive data I keep on paper. I also memorized my passwords.

“If one can’t afford an IT department, make sure to have a good IT person,” she said.

Two Factors Better Than One

Two-factor authentication is touted as a cybersecurity must.

“I use two-factor authentication because it helps me protect my data and my devices,” Pirciu said. “In some cases, it’s actually required for credit cards and bank account access.”

It’s also a good idea when not required.

“I use two-factor as much as I can,” Taylor said. “It’s super inconvenient, but it’s the easiest way to add an extra layer of security.”

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According to Keeper Password Manager, these are the most common types of attacks on small businesses:

  • Phishing and Social Engineering, 57 percent
  • Compromised or Stolen Devices, 33 percent
  • Credential Theft, 30 percent

Ignjatovic also uses two-factor authentication and suggests the same to her clients. She is also enthusiastic about password strength.

“My passwords are strong,” Ignjatovic said. “Certain passwords I update on a regular basis. All my social accounts have different passwords. I never use the same password twice.”

Naturally, there is room for improvement.

“My passwords are considered strong, but I can do so much better about updating them,” Taylor said. “As much as it’s a pain, I prefer that the platform forces me to change passwords.

“I even have a password keeper online, but I still have issues,” she said.

The payoff is worth it if data is secured, making a business a top company that attracts talent.

Automatic Backups

“My files are always backed up all the time in real time,” Taylor said. “I don’t like storing anything on a hard drive. I have several backups in different places.

“I had several hard drives that would get lost or I didn’t have the proper discipline,” she said. “I just couldn’t keep them updated. With my online backups, everything is constantly synching in different places. I haven’t had a problem once.”

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Cybersecurity Magazine states that 43 percent of all data breaches involve small and medium-sized businesses.

“That’s really scary once you see the numbers,” Ignjatovic said. “Small businesses are vulnerable.

“I do backups every couple of months,” she said. “There’s really no need to do that more frequently. I’ve been fine with that for the last several years, but I also take a lot of precautions.”

Despite the awful press, dealing with a hacker is not an everyday event.

Thankfully, I’ve never had a cyberattack,” Taylor said. “I don’t know any of my clients who have.”

She is anxious when hearing about the dark web.

“I saw something about this,” Taylor said. “I heard you need a special browser to search on some kind of index. The guy said not to click on everything. Click carefully.

“I’m honestly scared to see anything on the dark web,” she said. “I’m worried about opening my system up for hacking and, of course, there’s the crazies. I don’t want to have anything to do with that.”

Guard Against Weakness

Even taking that into account, another small-business owner noted that all websites are under attack.

“It’s absolutely true,” Taylor said. “They keep trying and trying, looking for a weakness. That’s why I keep everything updated.”

That includes equipment for all kinds of use. DIYMarketers has an article, “Best Microphones for Podcasting With 10K 5-Star Reviews.”

“I never had a cyberattack on my business in any form,” Ignjatovic said. “People don’t understand cybersecurity well because those who do explain it in a complicated way.”

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Rating on a 1-to-10 scale reveals concerns about the amount of personal information shared on social media.

“I’m not worried that much, but I try to be intentional about how much I share and how and where I do it,” Pirciu said. “I don’t share too many pictures of my children, for example.”

Taylor gives herself a 10.

“Even if I don’t think that I share relevant information, I’m aware that systems are tracking so much more than I’m even aware of,” she said.

“When I had a desktop and my son used it for school, it was constantly getting hit with something,” she said. “He kept downloading games and didn’t know.”

Risks From Oversharing

Ignjatovic self-rates a 3.

“I don’t share much, but I see people who overshare,” she said. “They should be concerned — like as high as 20.

“When I started with computers, I was 13 or 14, and later came the internet,” Ignjatovic said. “I was lucky to know people back then who wanted to educate people about cyber threats. I don’t see people doing that with kids nowadays.”

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An up and coming market might be for data security or personal data security insurance.

“I have considered it,” Taylor said. “I wish it were offered easily via my existing business insurance or even personal insurance.”

That is also on the Ignjatovic shopping list.

“I’ll be considering insurance in the next year or so,” she said. “I’ll go through a business transformation and would like to have that type of insurance.”

Pirciu joins them on the verge on an insurance purchase.

“As a freelancer, I get to connect with many people,” she said. “You can’t always tell what their intentions are right from the start.”

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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James L Katzaman

Jim Katzaman is a charter member of the Tealfeed Creators' program, focusing on marketing and its benefits for companies and consumers. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as well as subscribing here on Tealfeed.


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