14 DAY TRIAL // Most US small business owners believe the security measures they implement can keep them safe in front of any threats coming from the Internet, but further investigations uncovered that there is only a false sense of protection, most of them failing at deploying proper policies.
A report sponsored by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance reveals that 66% of small firms rely on their computing infrastructure to perform their daily tasks while 38% claim that a loss of Internet access for a period of 48 hours would be highly disruptive for the business process.
Close to half of the respondent companies don't have a formal or an informal Internet security policy and web usage regulations don't exist.
When it comes to handling potential data breaches, 40% of these businesses don't have a contingency plan that outlines the procedures for responding or reporting the situation. About the same number refuses to share their protection measures with partners and suppliers.
"We recognize that most small business owners are focused on running their businesses, and have limited resources and IT staff dedicated to managing their cyber security needs. Unfortunately, cyber criminals are increasingly making small businesses their targets, knowing they are likely to have fewer safeguards in place to protect themselves," said Cheri McGuire, vice president of Global Government Affairs and Cybersecurity Policy at Symantec.
"It's important for small businesses to educate their employees on the latest threats and what they can do to combat them. Education, combined with investment in reliable security solutions, provides small business owners with a well-rounded approach to protecting their businesses and managing cyber risk."
A concerning fact is that half of the firms that took part at the inquiry revealed they handle financial records and one-third deals with credit card information. A quarter have their own intellectual property which they should secure and 18% work with intellectual property belonging to others.
Mobile and social media platforms, which recently became a spring to malware, are regarded as threats only by close to 40% of businesses.