With the never-ending upgrade on the technology that we have today, business owners still view cybersecurity as "low priority”. Little did they know that data breaches or also known as “cyber-attacks” from 2022 to 2023 has increased from 20%. Which basically means that cybercriminals are drastically growing in large numbers— like your grandfather’s warts multiplying every time you get to see him. For this blog, we’ll dive deep into why you should use cybersecurity and how you can avoid being a victim—in an instant!

Why should I use Cybersecurity?

Simply because bad guys from the physical world have transformed into digital ill-hearted killers since the computer was invented. They do all forms of malicious acts from stealing data to sell on the Dark Web to attacking a prestigious cannot-be-hacked-because-it's-a-well-known-company for ransom.

Because believe it or not, even the largest companies like Google, Meta, Forbes, etc. can still be hacked by these anonymous groups like madmen ready for war.

And of course, we get it, we know what you’re thinking...

We’re too small to be a target.

We have a firewall, we’re secure.

Cybersecurity is too expensive, they’re basically packages with the same protection at different prices, so why bother?

These are just few of the many reasons we hear from business owners who have basically no interest in taking care of their business or reputation, it’s either they’ve heard cybercriminals stealing huge amounts of money from a company and still doesn’t do anything about it OR they haven’t heard anything about cyber-attacks (unless that business owner was born yesterday—we'll give ‘em that!)

We can’t accept your objections since none of them are valid (especially if it involves your safety and tons of personal details of people that make a transaction with you every single day), but we'll still answer your objections one by one.

We’re too small to be a target.

Anyone who has a business is a target, no matter the size of your business and the people you handle and it’s for the sole reason ‘they want money’.

We have a firewall, we’re secure.

Every single tool that is inside a computer can be hacked; firewalls can be hacked. That's what happened to the social media platform X in January 2023, when it was still Twitter. Hackers exploited an API vulnerability that had been exposed since June the previous year.

Cybersecurity is too expensive, they’re basically packages with different prices, why bother?

Prices vary on your business’ needs, whether you’re a small, medium, or large sized company. The bigger your company is—the more likely you need to protect more assets!

So, you’re basically saying there’s no way we can protect ourselves, but YOU still offer your services.

Absolutely right—WRONG! By keeping updated with the latest industry practices and programs, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to be attacked by cybercriminals. Especially if you don’t have the latest technology integrated inside your company. With outdated software, tools, or whatever type of protection you must protect your own business, it can be easily hacked.

So, if you can think you can do it yourself without any help— we'll say good luck with that!

How do I protect myself from cyber-attacks?

SLAM is one of the few ways to protect yourself from these data breaching leeches —and the good news is, you can perform it by yourself and the people you work with too.The acronym SLAM stands for sender, links, attachments, message. This are the things that you should look out for when looking for phishing oh-so-fishy emails!

Sender

Be wary of the sender’s name and email address, make sure the name and the domain of the email doesn’t have any misspellings or corrections. Also note that it is critical to pay attention to an email of a trusted friend, colleague, or boss (since identical email of theirs are most likely to be used by hackers).

Links

If the structure of the link is a little bit suspicious, there’s a good chance that it really is a virus waiting to be clicked. One tip that can help you confirm it is to hover the mouse (if you’re using a laptop) over the link to identify which website you will be directed to (beware of this since you are one click away from getting you and your company attacked by cyber criminals).

Attachments

Same as the links, be cautious about the file name attached to an email or text.

Message

Lastly, pay great attention to detail in the body of the message; is it properly structured? Does it look AI-generated? Do different paragraphs have different font sizes? Those 3 things are crucial in identifying if an email or text is sent by a hacker.

There are more ways to keep you away from the radar of these cybercriminals, and SLAM is just one of the many things that you can utilize to help you prevent cyber-attacks.

For additional cybersecurity guidance and top-notch practices, reach out to us today to schedule a complimentary cybersecurity risk assessment. Don't hesitate to take this proactive step towards safeguarding your business!