Protecting Small Businesses from Cyber Threats

Now more than ever, small businesses are facing many cyber threats, especially when it comes to the holiday season, where they seem to be more rampant. But do you remember the good old days when cybersecurity was kinda there, but there was never a giant looming threat that could cost you?

No, really, just think about it; it’s kind of wild how quickly cybersecurity has shifted from “install antivirus and don’t click weird links” to “now there are deepfakes, AI-written phishing emails that sound completely normal, fake invoices that look identical to real ones, and scams that can copy someone’s tone like it’s nothing.” Oh, and people’s literal voices, that’s a big one too when it comes to social engineering. 

And it’s absolutely terrifying, like back in 2003, the world was shaken when it came to that Blaster virus, and that was constantly on the news, but now, daily, there are new things happening, security breaches, all of that, and it’s not even a big deal. Now, it’s just all commonplace; it’s not just big corporations getting targeted in the news. Small businesses get hit all the time because they’re busy, they move fast, they don’t always have a dedicated IT person, and their systems are usually a mix of tools that grew over time. 

So, how can you even keep up with all of these cyber threats?

Being Careful isn’t Enough Anymore

Well, a lot of classic security advice assumes scams look obviously scammy. Like that old Nigerian Prince scheme where there’s bad spelling, weird email addresses, awkward phrasing, suspicious links, that sort of thing. Sure, those exist, but now, those red flags aren’t as reliable because AI can clean up the language, match writing styles, and make messages sound like they came from a real person at a real company. 

So the “just trust your gut” strategy gets weaker, because the message can look fine while still being dangerous. Plus, like what was already mentioned, deepfakes are getting really good, same goes for using someone’s voice; all of this is really convincing. 

The Real Risk Here is the Process

For the most part, here, small businesses actually have an advantage, because most security risks aren’t about defeating a firewall like it’s a video game; instead, they’re about process gaps. It’s honestly really easy, like shared passwords for example, or the fact that everyone has admin access, no real offboarding when someone leaves, well, these are some examples, but you get the whole idea here. 

It’s also the stuff that feels harmless in the moment, like logging into the business bank account on a personal laptop. So many people are seriously guilty of that, well, that and saving passwords in a browser, no, that’s not safe! Well, that, and using the same password across multiple platforms because it’s easier.

Build Awareness about Cyber Threats

Now, sure, there are constant cyber threats happening left and right, it seems, but you don’t have to feel like you need to follow them. Now, even though that part is true, you do need a way to stay aware of what’s changing, because threats do evolve and tactics do shift.  And as generic as the answer sounds, yeah, you still need to be aware here. Well, that and having a lightweight system for awareness, something that doesn’t require hours of research. 

This can look like assigning one person to spend ten minutes a week scanning updates, and then sharing the important bits with the team in plain language. It can look like setting a monthly reminder to review security basics, like access permissions and password habits. It can look like a quick “scam of the month” conversation, so people stay alert without feeling paranoid. It honestly wouldn’t hurt to keep up with industry news, subscribe to a cybersecurity newsletter, and see if there are any creators on YouTube discussing new advances in social engineering (a lot of tech-related YouTubers tend to bring it up). 

Focus on the Security Habits that Still Matter

And yes, that’s still counting the fact that AI is very much prevalent now. AI changes the style of cyber threats, but it doesn’t change the fundamentals of what prevents damage. The basics are still the biggest things you can actually do (and should), and that’s honestly good news, because basics are manageable. Yeah, it sounds unsafe because of how bare bones it is, but you’d be surprised to learn that’s where more of these compromises come from anyway.