Joe Biden recently declared cybersecurity a top priority for the country.
This was following the cyberattack in December against SolarWinds, which provides cybersecurity to the U.S. government, along with several larger corporations and governments around the world.
But there was something different about this attack...
The hackers gained access to email systems at the U.S. Commerce and Treasury departments by way of SolarWinds software updates.
It was a true stealth attack that went under the radar for months.
And here is the thing…
This is exactly what is happening to smaller businesses like accounting and financial firms.
It is like someone hitch-hiking to their destination and the firm is the vehicle they’re using to get there.
“But my business is too small to be a target”.
I hear this all the time from clients.
But here is the thing…
That is exactly what cybercriminals want you to think.
Most businesses would innocently download software updates without hesitation, right?
So, the cyber bad guys using something seemingly routine, like a software update, to steal data.
And businesses have no idea it is happening to them until it is too late.
Like the government in the SolarWinds attack, sometimes they only find out months after the attack occurs.
So, if a firm’s cybersecurity is not up to scratch and they fail to address the gap…
Well, they risk waving all your current customers goodbye.
And what would a loss like that mean to the firm's business?
The average cyberattack is costing businesses over $200k according to insurance carrier Hiscox.
But it does not have to be this way…
The secret weapon a firm needs is rapid threat detection and recovery capability.
That’s where an IT Policy and ITSM Process Consultant can help.
They proactively look for risk to your environment.
When was the last time you audited your current policies and processes?
In my next post I will share insights about stress free IT.
This is my third post in a series related to IT and cybersecurity with regard to accouting and financial firms. You can view the others here:
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