Dangerous Cyber Attacks for Small Businesses

A cyber attack not only compromises the security of a company’s networks, but also creates undesirable consequences for its business function. Accenture reports that 43% of these attacks are directed towards small businesses and what’s worrying is that only 14% of them are prepared to defend themselves.

There are various costs arising from cybercrime. These include: damage and destruction of data, stolen money, lost productivity, theft of intellectual property, theft of financial and personal data, fraud, business disruption, restoration of hacked data and systems, and reputational harm. The latter being the less measurable cost with the loss of corporate reputation influencing consumers’ trust in a company.

Ransomware is one category of cyber crime of particular concern, with costs incurred skyrocketing over the past years, especially for small businesses. This malware infects computers and mobile devices, restricting users’ access to files and often threatening permanent data destruction unless a ransom is paid. This form of cyber crime has reached epidemic proportions globally and is the “go-to method of attack” for cybercriminals. Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that global ransomware damage costs will reach $20 billion by 2021; 57 times more than it was in 2015. Ransomware attacks on businesses occur every 11 seconds, up from every 40 seconds in 2016. Mark Montgomery, director at the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), believes that this is the fastest growing and one of the most damaging types of cybercrime, which will ultimately convince senior executives to take the cyber threat more seriously.

Phishing attacks occur when attackers try to trick unsuspecting victims into handing over valuable information, such as passwords, credit card details, intellectual property, and so on. These attacks are mostly in the form of an email pretending to be from a legitimate organization, such as a bank, or insurance agency. It is considered the most common form of cyber attack, mostly because it is easy to carry out and surprisingly effective. After declining in 2019, phishing increased in 2020 to account for 1 in every 4,200 emails. According to an IBM report, the average cost per compromised record has steadily increased over the past few years, with the cost in 2019 being $150. This may not seem substantial, unless the organisation is large, for instance, Marriott which lost 5.2 million records in its most recent breach. This resulted in a cost estimated to be around $780 million. Moreover, CSO reports that Phishing attacks account for more than 80% of reported security breaches. Thus, even though this form of cybercrime may not be the most costly for small businesses, it is definitely much more frequent than other forms.

There exist other established and emerging types of cyber crime which all organisations must constantly keep an eye out for. These include Man-in-the-middle attacks (MITM), AI-Powered attacks, IoT-Based attacks, SQL injection, and many more. Data is the building block of the digitized economy, and the opportunities for innovation and malice around it are incalculable. Therefore, it is vital for organisations of all sizes to develop and maintain well-fortified cybersecurity systems. Penetration testing, security audits and risk assessments are needed to maintain such a system, which may be provided by an experienced I.T vendor.

Clamtech Offers Businesses Free Support to Promote Their Business Online – Terms and Conditions

 

  • Free web hosting is provided for 1 year from date of provisioning, and will be based on a Linux platform
  • Website design includes provision for home page with information about the company as well as a contact us page with an integrated google map
  • This free service is not inclusive of payment gateway and any other apps or API integration
  • Artwork is inclusive of logo and artwork required for the website and a social media banner but does not include press or other types of adverts
  • Free SSL certificate provided for 1 year
  • Domain procurement is free for 1 year
  • The domains selected cannot be a premium domain
  • Clamtech utilizes shared hosting technology to host your site. Due to the nature of shared hosting and the ability for you, as an individual user of a shared environment, to adversely affect other users, we reserve the right, at any time, to take action to prevent you from harming the servers, networks, or other users. Action may include suspension, site modification, blocking of access, rerouting of domains or Ips, and other actions.
  • Clamtech reserves the right to terminate your account at any time without a refund. Reasons for termination include (but are not limited to):
    • Abuse of the machines – either intentional or due to improper coding
    • Committing or Promoting any type of illegal activity including fraud, mailbombing, denial of service attacks, storing and/or housing and/or linking to illegal content, including but not limited to, “warez”, “hacking”/”cracking”/”key generators”.
    • The Services to traffic in illegal drugs and/or obscene materials.
    • The Services to misappropriate or infringe the patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights of any third party.
    • Additionally, Web Hosting Hub reserves the right to terminate your account if at any time your site has pornography and/or nudity of any kind, including but not limited to, adult pornography, Anime, child pornography, “adult content” and/or the written word of a sexual nature.
    • Use of ad-servers, attempts to circumvent quota system owned by ‘nobody’, certain podcasting or video sites, use of torrent software, proxies, excessive resource usage or ‘core dumping’.
    • Attempts to circumvent any of our security policies, procedures or systems.

Clamtech Offers Businesses Free Support to Promote Their Business Online

Local IT company Clamtech is offering free IT support to local businesses who want to promote their services online. This initiative follows recent measures that have closed restaurants and various other companies to help contain the spread of COVID-19. This service is being offered in conjunction with web designer Steven Camilleri and Branding and Communications Agency, Striped Sox.

Clamtech is inviting local businesses who as yet do not have an online presence to get in touch on [email protected] or by calling 2090880, so their experts can assist them to set up an online presence. This assistance includes free website design and hosting for a year, as well as the design of any basic artwork that may be required.

“These are trying times for everyone but especially for restaurants and small businesses who were just starting to recover after a tough year,” said Trevor Vassallo, Director of Clamtech. “Hence, we are reaching out to entities who as yet do not have an online presence so we can assist them for the coming year. Our service includes free domain name and hosting for a year, as well as the setting up of a basic website and creation of artwork, if required. We just want to help in any way we can.”

Established in 2009, Clamtech is a growing and dynamic company with a team of IT professionals, who collaborate with all types of clients coming from different sectors and of different sizes. Using the latest innovative technologies, the company offers consultancy, strategic upgrades on existing servers and networks, as well as any IT requirements varying from a quick technological fix to long-term support and services.

Clamtech is offering this service to local companies in conjunction with Steven Camilleri, who will be overseeing the web design, as well as social media integration and SEO services. Furthermore, should businesses require artwork design and communication support, this will be catered for by Striped Sox, a boutique marketing agency that offers services related to PR, communications and brand strategy.

Terms and Conditions can be accessed here.

For more information, one may contact Clamtech by sending an email on: [email protected] or by calling on: +356 20 908 800.