Top network security threats for small companies

Small companies face more security threats than larger companies, as they often do not have the personnel or financial resources to protect their networks and computer data.

Here are some tips from Watchguard Technologies' which identify the main security issues SMEs should be aware of.

Insiders

In many SMEs, business records and customer information is often entrusted to a single person. Without adequate checks and balances, including network system logs and automated reports, data loss from within can stretch over long periods of time.

Lack of Contingency Plans

One of the biggest threats to SMEs relates to the business impact of post-hack, intrusion or virus. Many SMEs lack a data loss response policy or disaster recovery plan, leaving their business slow to recover and restart operations.

Unchanged Factory Defaults

Hackers publish and maintain exhaustive lists of default logins (username and password) to nearly every networked device, and can easily take control of network resources if the default factory configuration settings are not changed.

The Unsecured Home

In many small businesses, employees often take laptops home to work. In an unsecured home network environment, a business laptop can be dangerously exposed to viruses, attacks and malware applications.

Reckless Use of Public Networks

A common ruse by attackers is to put up an unsecured wireless access point labeled, “Free Public WiFi” and simply wait for a connection-starved road warrior to connect. With a packet sniffer enabled, an attacker stealthily sees everything the employee types, and is then able to utilize that data for personal gain.

Loss of Portable Devices

Much SME data is compromised every year due to lost laptops, misplaced mobile devices and left behind USB sticks. Although encryption of mobile device data and use of strong passwords would mitigate many of these losses, many SMB users simply fail to secure their mobile devices and data.

Compromised Web Servers

Many SMEs host their own websites without adequate protection, leaving their business networks exposed to SQL injections and botnet attacks.

Reckless Web Surfing

Now more than ever, malware, spyware, keyloggers and spambots reside in innocuous looking websites. Employees who venture into ostensibly safe sites may be unknowingly exposing their business networks to extreme threats.

Malicious HTML E-mail

No longer are attackers sending e-mails with malicious attachments. Today, the threat is hidden in HTML e-mail messages that include links to malicious, booby-trapped sites. A wrong click can easily lead to a drive by download.

Unpatched Vulnerabilities Open to Known Exploits

More than 90% of automated attacks try to leverage known vulnerabilities. Although patches are issued regularly, a short staffed SME may likely fail to install the latest application updates and patches to their systems, leaving them vulnerable to an otherwise easily stopped attack.