by Ray Hayes
Cyber security should be a big priority for almost any business. Over the years, hackers have become more and more relentless and are pursuing company emails, customer personal information, and more. It has been estimated that 14 million small businesses were hacked over the last 12 months and approximately 1 in 3 small businesses lack the tools to protect themselves correctly. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that almost 60 percent of small businesses who suffer cyberattacks go out of business within six months. Congress has begun to take notice and recently introduced a bill that will address the cyberwar on small businesses.
According to CNBC, “If passed, the Main Street Cybersecurity Act, introduced at the end of March, would update the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, which called for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide a voluntary set of guidelines for big businesses to follow in order to manage and reduce their cybersecurity risks. As a result of the 2014 act, cybersecurity became one of NIST’s primary focus areas, and the federal government made a verbal commitment to fund cybersecurity research.”
Matt Bromiley, senior managing consultant at Kroll, a NY-based risk consulting firm, recommends some helpful tips if the Main Street Cybersecurity Act is passed:
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Perform regular backups of company data
- Create stronger passwords and updating them every several months
- Make sure antivirus software is installed on company computers.
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/congress-addresses-cyberwar-on-small-business-14-million-hacked.html