I don’t mean to scare you (check that; I actually do mean to scare you), but here’s something you should know: Small business is now a prime target of hackers and data thieves intent on stealing credit card and other sensitive information.
Think you aren’t vulnerable or that it can’t happen to your business? Think again. Major credit card companies now estimate that 95 percent of data theft they uncover happens at the very smallest businesses that accept credit cards (and thus have customer credit card information; if only briefly).
The data-theft divisions of Verizon (which operates data-transmission networks) and the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates cyber crimes, saw data theft reports at small businesses jump 400 percent last year.
The reason is simple: Hackers find small businesses to be easy targets. Even a local hair salon, pizza shop or dental office has names, addresses and credit card data. And with more small businesses now storing information electronically, the opportunities for data theft have soared. And it will get worse before it gets better.
Here are ways to protect your business:
• Keep security software up to date. If you do nothing else, installing (or updating) the latest versions of anti-virus and anti-spyware software will provide some protection.
• Use a secure wireless connection and a good firewall. Many small businesses use unsecured wireless networks. That’s asking for trouble. The old standard, known as WEP, is useless. What you need is WPA2 Encryption, the current standard in data protection.
• Segregate your sensitive data. The fewer places your sensitive information is stored, the less you have to worry about. For example, credit card information should be segregated from other data and from your network as well.
• Protect tablets and mobile devices, too. Mobile phones, iPads and similar devices should also be password-protected and kept in secured storage when not in use. Avoid storing any sensitive data on these devices.
• Use a secure SSL connection for sending or receiving data. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is an encrypted Internet connection for sending data safely over the Internet.
• Get help. OnGuard Online (www.onguardonline.gov) offers practical tips on computer security from tech specialists. SANS (www.sans.org) is one of the world’s most trusted sources for information-security training. •
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at
editir@bizbest.com.com
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