Page 63 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for July 2020

Managing Small Business Cybersecurity During Covid-19

By Bill DeLisi, CEO of GOFBA

Small businesses are undertaking extraordinary changes during the coronavirus epidemic. They’re
laying off staff, shifting their business models, and managing the challenges of remote work. The pace
of the stay-at-home orders and the abrupt halt of the economy required small businesses to move
quickly. States are in the midst of gradually reopening, but many smaller firms will continue to face
impactful challenges for the rest of the year and beyond. In addition to the safety and health issue
concerns, small firms are also facing cybersecurity risks.

Compared to enterprise-level firms, small businesses do not possess massive IT budgets to confront
threats. Large firms have capital to weather business interruptions that might come from data breaches.
Small businesses are already devastated during COVID-19, they can’t risk losing data and being offline
for even a day. And there’s the PR hit that comes with a data breach event. A small firm cannot likely
survive a breach, especially in the current economy where competition for dollars is at a premium.

Unfortunately, there’s many bad actors out there. Cybersecurity hacking attempts are rising during the
COVID-19 pandemic, as hackers prey on fear and uncertainty. To that end, here are three of the most
persistent and damaging COVID-19 driven security threats for small business, along with some tips for
mitigating the risks.

1. Stop Malware in its Tracks

Malware encompasses spyware, viruses, trojans, and other tools hackers use to infect computers. The
actual programs live on attachments and within software such as PDF viewers. Staff members must avoid
downloading unapproved programs and understand the types of actions that can lead to malware.

Cyber Defense eMagazine –July 2020 Edition 63
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