5 Common Cybersecurity Mistakes Small Businesses Make

We’ve seen a big uptick in demand for our cyber fitness boot camps in recent months. It’s clear that Australian small businesses are increasingly aware that cyber risk is increasing and they’re not doing enough to keep up.

Cybersecurity threats are no longer just a concern for large corporations. Small businesses are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks. In fact, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), a cybercrime is reported every 6 minutes in Australia. The average cost per attack for a small business is $46,000. Small businesses are more likely to be victims of cyberattacks than large businesses.

Here are 5 common cybersecurity mistakes small business attending our boot camps are making:

1. Not Tracking the Technology Critical to their Business

It’s rare we encounter a small business that has a good sense of just how much technology their business depends on. As they rush to adopt the latest new apps or AI tooling, they neglect the increased cyber risk that comes with it. The size of the problem can be daunting if not proactively tracked over time.

2. Neglecting Software Updates

In any given week there will be something in your business that needs a security update installed. Sadly most small businesses aren’t aware that updates are something that need to be managed regularly and are typically shocked to realise their critical apps and systems have had serious vulnerabilities in them for months (if not years). 

3. Not Backing Up

Most small businesses are operating in ‘the cloud’ nowadays, but few recognise this hasn’t absolved them from the need to protect their core business information. When considering how they may continue to operate when their cloud provider disappears, many simply shrug that they don’t know.

4. Not Having a Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program

Business owners frequently share with us that they’re careful (of course) but are worried their team may not have much of an idea about how to stay safe. Even the most basic of awareness training or encouragement of team members to report anything suspicious is missing in most small businesses.

5. Not Managing Cyber Risk

There’s likely bias in our boot camp participants, but most small businesses seem to have clocked that cybersecurity isn’t just an ‘IT guy’ problem anymore. Sadly while they carry the anxiety of their growing cyber risk, too many are still to take the step to actively managing it as a business risk.

How Cynch Can Help

Cynch is a cybersecurity platform that helps small businesses protect themselves from cyberattacks. With Cynch, you can:

• Track the technologies critical to your business: Within minutes of signing up to our Cyber Fitness Platform you’ll have a solid list of the specific technologies core to your business.

• Stay up-to-date on software updates: Cynch will let you know when something in your business needs to be updated and guide you through the process step by step.

• Back up your data: Cynch will help you identify the critical data in your business and configure and test your backups to ensure it’s there no matter what happens.

• Train your employees: Cynch offers straight-forward guides on how to build the cyber awareness of your team and formalise things with plain language policies and guidelines.

• Manage your Cyber Risk: The Cynch Cyber Fitness Platform automatically identifies and prioritises every cyber risk in your business. Tailored to your specific technology environment, your cyber risks are continually updated to ensure you’re managing everything as comprehensively as your size and budget allows. 

With Cynch, you can protect your business from cyberattacks and focus on what you do best.

Cybersecurity is a complex issue, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By avoiding these common mistakes and using a cybersecurity solution like Cynch, you can protect your business from cyberattacks.