Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are vital to their communities. Small in stature, important to the global economy. SMEs typically do not have the resources or a dedicated cyber security team to protect themselves against attacks, breaches and ransomware.
Cyber security is an increasing issue for SMEs. It is not only the external threat. More often than not a cyber breach starts with an employee mistake, which gives attackers a gateway in.
Why hackers target SMEs
Smaller equals less prepared. Many small businesses assume cyber breaches happen only to the big guys. The data proves otherwise. This mentality blocks growing businesses from being prepared for attacks. Attackers have noticed this and have made SMEs their prime target.
Infrastructure is patchy. Reasons range from ignorance to lack of financial resources. The fact is, many small businesses do not have the right protection in place. Why would attackers go after a business with heavy security in place when there are companies with their cyber doors and windows wide open?
What SMEs can do
Insurance. Cyber insurance should be part of an SME incident response plan to cover financial loss from a breach. Not an end-all solution, more of an extra protection that helps business continuity.
Education. The best way to protect yourself is to understand what you are protecting yourself from. There are many free resources, online courses and community-led training. Educate yourself and your team on basic cyber hygiene.
Invest. Beef up cyber security measures. For many SMEs the most fundamental way is outsourcing security to a partner that can run regular checks.
Originally published 9 May 2017. Migrated to the new IRC site in 2026.