In last week's blog I talked about the danger of small businesses being victims of cyber-crime. Unlike your personal bank account, if cyber-criminals steal money out of your business bank account your bank is under no obligation to reimburse the loss. In my blog, I listed six steps every business should take to protect themselves against cyber-criminals.
Today's headlines underscore the need for this kind of protection. In an article titled FBI says cyber-thieves stole $70 million, the Associated Press reports that a gang based in Russia and Ukraine used a virus attached to emails and web links to tap into the computer systems of small businesses. Once an unsuspecting person clicked on the link, the virus captured account numbers and passwords the criminals could use to access the accounts.
One sentence in the article was particularly telling: "Many of the victims were small- and medium-sized businesses that don't have the money to invest in high-level computer security." This incident underscores the fact that for a business, computer security is not optional. If you're a business owner you owe it to yourself to make sure you are protected. Last week's blog describes six important steps every business should take. How well are you doing? If you need help to find out, consider working with a professional IT company like TeamLogic IT to do an assessment.
Notes from Steve - Observations from Off the Beaten Path
