Introduction
From bringing global connectivity to providing access to the best online tools, the internet supports small businesses in more ways than one.
However, as much as it is a productive tool, it also exposes small businesses to the dark side of the digital world i.e., cyberattacks. Around 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses every year. The reason for such a high percentage is because most small businesses are not aware of the importance of cybersecurity. On top of that, they also barely have the budget to form a strong cyber security posture.
Moreover, the ratio of Hispanic businesses being targeted by cyberattacks is also pretty high. Around 91% of Latin American businesses faced cybersecurity incidents while 62% of them suffered data breach attacks last year.
If you are a Hispanic small business owner and unsure about securing your business from cyber threats, you might find this article helpful.
How Can Cyberattacks Harm Hispanic Small Businesses?
Before you look for ways to protect your business from cyberattacks, you need to know how they can harm you. Cyberattacks are more than just a silly virus taking over your computer screen. They can cause serious harm to your business, causing it to shut down. Here are all the ways they can harm your Hispanic business:
- Financial Harm: Cyberattacks can cause serious financial damage to your business since they are so expensive to resolve.
- Loss of Sensitive Data: Cyberattacks can cause loss of sensitive data, putting you, your team and customers at an increased risk of more threats.
- Disruption of Business Operations: Cyberattacks can disrupt your operations and hinder you from meeting customer demands. This also affects your profitability.
- Compliance Fines: If a cyberattack results in the theft of confidential customer data, you will have to pay heavy compliance fines for not safeguarding it properly.
- Reputation Damage: Loss of customer data and disruption of business operations can cause your customers to lose their trust in your business.
Best Cybersecurity Practices to Adapt
1. Get a Firewall for Your Business
If most of your business processes are online, you need to get a firewall ASAP.
As a security system that protects networks, a firewall monitors and restricts incoming and outgoing traffic. This means it blocks all kinds of unauthorized access. A firewall is essentially a proper defense system that protects your network, data, and business processes from any threatening intrusion.
There are free and paid firewall software available in the market that provide 24/7 protection against malware, botnet attacks, DoS attacks, and data theft. Cambium’s firewall is pretty decent for small businesses. As a Hispanic, you can utilize Cambium features in the Spanish language.
However, it is important to consider that a firewall will only protect your business from outside threats; it cannot provide protection from internal threats.
2. Get a Secure Internet Connection
A good cybersecurity posture needs to provide multi-layered protection against cyber threats. This means getting a firewall is not enough. You need other forms of security as well. For that, you can get an internet connection that comes with built-in internet security. Internet security protects your data and WiFi networks from hacking attempts. Obviously, it is not as sophisticated as a firewall, but it still provides protection.
Some ISPs provide complimentary internet protection with their internet plans that save your devices and WiFi networks from cyberattacks. For instance, Optimum Internet is guarded with McAfee, an antivirus known for protecting against malware, ransomware, and spyware attacks. You can get it by visiting Optimum servicio al cliente 24 horas and protect safeguard your business from online threats.
3. Hire Someone for Risk Assessment
This is an important practice. A cybersecurity risk assessment will help you identify and evaluate any potential security loopholes that might become the cause of an attack in the future. Cybersecurity risk assessments are so advanced that they can even tell you the potential impact of an attack.
Risk assessment for cybersecurity is a great way to plan your cybersecurity strategy. It can also help you rule out any hidden threats in your system that are yet to strike. Cybersecurity risk assessment can also help with compliance regulations and save you from hefty fines. You can hire a cybersecurity professional to carry out a detailed risk assessment for your business.
4. Introduce Limited Access to Private Data
As mentioned above, cyberthreats do not always emerge from outside the organization. They can also emerge from within your own organization. This means a disgruntled ex-employee or an evil current employee can launch a cyberattack to negatively impact your business from within. For that, you need to limit access to sensitive data. Multi-factor authentication on devices containing this data is a great way to go about it.
Or you can simply restrict employees from using devices with sensitive information. This way, only a handful of people will have access to that data which can not only protect data but also make it easy to identify culprits in case of a security breach.
These practices are a great way to begin your small business’ cybersecurity journey to save your business from harmful cyberattacks. As you get into it, it is a good idea to keep yourself familiar with the latest cybersecurity trends because cyberthreats keep evolving to surpass current cybersecurity measures.
