UNION STRONG BLOG

Hackers’ Delight: Small Offices Investing more in Internet of Things, Less on Cybersecurity

Investing in technology is top of mind for small offices — with 44% saying they plan to invest in resources related to the Internet of Things, or IoT-connected devices, for their business in 2020, according to new research from the latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. That’s more than twice the number who say they plan to invest in cybersecurity software (20%).

These are troubling statistics during a time when cyber terrorism is only on the rise.

 

Why Are Small Offices Targets?

One reason small offices get caught unaware is because they don’t understand why anyone would target them, given that they lack the deep pockets of big companies.

Some are taking a risk, saying, I don’t see this happening to me. But it’s more about being vulnerable as low-hanging fruit.

Others procrastinate, throwing their hands in the air and saying, I’ll think about this later on.

But hackers find going after small offices very profitable and have gotten sophisticated in gathering information on companies, so they can, for instance, easily spoof an email from a vendor and ask for payment.

Many small offices are victims of “social engineering,” where someone tries to persuade office managers to move money to criminals using phishing emails or false pretenses.

How Small Offices Can Protect Against Hacks

The best first step is for small office to perform a security risk assessment.

Make sure you know what is going on with personal devices in your small office. When it comes to connected devices, you need to do network segmentation. These devices need to be on a separate local area network, or LAN. That way, those devices are not tied to your main network. It gives you another layer of protection if a hacker is trying to get into your environment.

Ideally, get help from trusted professionals. Union Built PC have been on the frontlines protecting small union offices from Cyber Security risk for years.

You can safeguard yourself and your small union office with a nominal investment that could save you big time down the road.

Contact us today to ask more about how we protect small Union Offices from Cyber Criminals.

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