Forward Bank

America thrives with small businesses in society. There are numerous opportunities for small businesses to fill needed niches within the industry. However, many small businesses may not have all the resources they need to have a strong cybersecurity posture. By implementing simple cybersecurity practices throughout the organizations, small business can safeguard their information and data for increased profits.

Did You Know?

• 44 percent of small businesses reported being the victim of a cyber attack, with an average cost of approximately $9,000 per attack.¹
• Nearly 59 percent of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses do not have a contingency plan that outlines procedures for responding to and reporting data breach losses.²

Simple Tips

• Make sure all of your organization's computers are equipped with antivirus software and antispyware. This software should be updated regularly.
• Secure your Internet connection by using a firewall, encrypt information, and hide your Wi-Fi network.
• Establish security practices and policies to protect sensitive information.
• Educate employees about cyber threats and how to protect your organization's data. Hold employees accountable to the Internet security policies and procedures.
• Require employees to use strong passwords and to change them often.
• Invest in data loss protection software, use encryption technologies to protect data in transit, and use two-factor authentication where possible.
• Protect all pages on your public-facing websites, not just the checkout and sign-up pages.

Resources Available to You

US-CERT.gov The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) distributes bulletins and alerts for both technical and non-technical users, shares cybersecurity tips, and responds to incident, phishing, and vulnerabilities reports.

SBA.gov The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) helps Americans start, build, and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

USChamber.com The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an Internet Safety Toolkit that teaches employees how to help protect company information, customer data, and their own personal information.

Source: Homeland Security – Stop. Think. Connect.

¹ 2013 Small Business Technology Survey, National Small Business Association

² www.staysafeonline.org/about-us/news/new-survey-shows-us-small-business-owners-not-concerned-aboutcybersecurity, 2013