October is Cybersecurity Month, Are you Aware of the Top Threats to Small Businesses?

According to SCORE, “Almost half of all cyberattacks are directed at small businesses, according to data compiled by SCORE.”

Attacks on SMBs are real, on the rise, and can pack a devastating blow. Here are some of the supporting facts.

• Only 14 percent of small businesses rate their ability to mitigate cyber risks, vulnerabilities, and attacks as highly effective.
• 60 percent of small companies go out of business within six months of a cyberattack.
• Small businesses were affected by 113,000 incidents of macro malware in 2017
• 39% of the 269 billion emails sent and received in 2017 were spam messages
• Small businesses experienced 66,000 online banking malware attacks in 2017
• Small businesses were affected by 54,000 ransomware incidents in 2017
• The average amount demanded during a ransomware attack is $1,077 – but the average cost to businesses is $133,000 (when accounting for downtime, lost opportunities and recovery costs)

SOURCES:

• https://thebestvpn.com/cyber-security-statistics-2018/
• http://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Email-Statistics-Report-2017- 2021-Executive-Summary.pdf
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/420400/spam-email-traffic-share-annual/
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection /intelligence/macro-malware
• https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/05/how-fast-will-identity-thieves-use-stolen-info
• https://www.valuepenguin.com/banking/statistics-and-trends
• https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/micro-moments-consumer-behavior-expectations/
• https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/ransomware
• https://thebestvpn.com/cyber-security-statistics-2018/
• https://blog.barkly.com/ransomware-statistics-2018