When you think of cyber attacks, you may imagine complex campaigns against major corporations and governments. The reality, however, is far more common and serious – especially for small businesses.
Phishing Attacks Pose a Huge Threat to Your Small Business
Hackers often trick well-meaning employees into giving access to their business systems by getting them to unwittingly click on a link in an email. This method of cyber attack is known as phishing — and it’s on the rise.
But what’s perhaps even more worrying is that most employees may not even be able to identify phishing. That’s according to data published by Texas-based eLearning company, Inspired eLearning.
Statistics reveal 97 percent of people cannot identify a sophisticated phishing email — putting confidential business data at risk.
Consequently, businesses end up losing a lot of money. The study suggests phishing scams cost businesses about $500 million a year. For a small business, the impact is understandably much bigger.
Protect Your Business Against Phishing
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) found phishing attacks have been dramatically rising since 2004 with a 65 percent increase from 2015 to 2016.
The ever-increasing threat of phishing scams makes it even more important for small businesses to revisit their security features.
The next step is to boost the security features at your business to prevent data breaches. Investing in a robust data security infrastructure will help you monitor for suspicious activity on the network and protect your business.
Train Employees to Identify a Phishing Attack
But the most crucial aspect to be considered is employee education, as 91 percent of hacking attacks start with phishing emails. It pays for businesses to train employees to identify a phishing attack that arrives via email. Emails asking for sensitive data such as passwords and personal information are most likely phishing emails that employees must recognize.
Want to know more? Check out the infographic below:
Images: Inspiredelearning.com
This article, "Yikes! 97 Percent of Your Employees May Not be Able to Identify a Phishing Email (INFOGRAPHIC)" was first published on Small Business Trends
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