BeyondTrust

Ponemon Institute's 2016 Cost of Cybercrime report proves that in the current cybersecurity landscape, the average company could expect a $4 million dollar loss per breach incident, with United States companies experiencing an additional $3 million dollar loss. Despite this impending threat, SMBs face unique challenges that will need to be addressed in order to avoid becoming a likely victim of a security breach.

In a recent article from Bomgar’s Sam Elliott published in Information Management, “Overcoming IT Security Challenges in Small and Mid-Sized Businesses,” Elliott delves deeper into these challenges and the solutions SMBs can deploy in order to rise above the common security pitfalls that SMBs fall for. Take a look at the following most common challenges small and mid-sized businesses face, along with their solutions.

  • Challenge: Web-based phishing/social engineering attacks
  • Solution: Eliminate simple and shared credentials. SMBs can also enact a multi-factor authentication requirement that reduces the risk of hackers and keystroke loggers.

 

  • Challenge: Threats to third parties
  • Solution: Regularly evaluate privileged users. SMBs need to identify who these privileged users are, assess their IT permission levels, and make sure they only have access to the systems they need.

 

  • Challenge: Legacy technologies
  • Solution: Monitor virtual private network access. Limiting who can access and utilize the VPN reduces the opportunity for potential hackers.

 

  • Challenge: Use of free tools to enable support
  • Solution: Conduct a technology audit. A safer solution for SMBs is to standardize remote access on a centralized and secure tool.

 

  • Challenge: Lack of visibility into security threats or gaps
  • Solution: Track activity. Having a record of how the technology is being utilized enables companies to have greater insight into what privileged users and other third parties are doing on the network.

Make sure to check out the full article and discover more of Bomgar’s solutions for small businesses.

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