Cybercriminals Target Small Businesses

According to a study by McAfee, Inc. small businesses risk losing over $1 trillion from loss or theft of data and other cybercrimes. The Internet Security Alliance, a non-profit organization that provides a forum for information on security issues, tells us that small businesses are severely at risk for security breaches. Large corporations who were formerly attacked by hackers have significantly bolstered their network security. Therefore, criminals are turning their attention toward small businesses.l

Small businesses can be easier to find as many do not have a well developed security plan, and their networks and computers many times are unprotected. One in five does not have antivirus software and more than half do not use encryption for wireless links. Hackers, on the other hand, now have more sophisticated and damaging programs that resist removal, continuously change, and spread across the Internet in minutes.

The impact of a security attack on a small business is much greater than on a corporation. Small businesses that do business over the internet and handle credit card data online, cannot protect their data from hackers when they do a denial of service attack. They do not have the financial resources and insurance and have difficulty bouncing back.

The following are a few of the small businesses that are at risk for cybercrime and identity theft:

Charities and nonprofit organizations can be targets of organized crime rings from abroad. Russia, the Ukraine, and China are particularly interested in their lists of benefactors and donors, and beneficiary lists from life insurers and cybercrime is the best way to get these lists.

The Real Estate Industry is also targeted. Realtor Associations, MLS Boards, and Brokers and Agents are severly at risk and have already been victims of cybercrime. Hackers have been able to gain access to membership systems and the MLS store through programming errors on MLS public websites. They can walk into a real estate agency, walk past the busy receptionist, plug his laptop into a network jack, and in minutes can have the entire membership database and all the software needed to use for criminal activities. Millions of consumer records with bank account and credit card information have been stolen stolen by employees and then sell it to a data broker.

Hotels are also at risk. Hackers have broken into the computers of one hotel that was part of a chain of hotels and gained access to tens of thousands of customer credit card members from all the hotel chains,

Recently, the largest coordinated ATM rip-off took place when $9 million dollars were stolen from 100 stolen credit cards in 30 minutes.

The best protection for small businesses is Managed Internet Security and Whole Identity Protection as they are affordable, have the latest security technologies to protect the computer and emails, and work with the police to find the thieves. They help restore identities to Pre-theft Status.