Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common, in particular those targeting small and medium-sized enterprises. How can you avoid being hacked? What should you do if a hacker steals all your data and demands a ransom? If you do not know the answers to these questions, this article is for you.
Cybersecurity for small businesses: a national issue
25% of Belgian small businesses have already experienced a cyber-attack. In recent years, the number of cyber-attacks targeting small businesses has risen steadily.
These figures are particularly alarming in the context of the country's entrepreneurial composition. According to a 2020 Statbel study, 99% of Belgian businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises.
The rise in cyber-attacks targeting small businesses is all the more worrying as it is accompanied by a rise in the adoption of new technologies. Indeed, 65% of small businesses have at least a basic level of "digital intensity".
There is therefore a paradox between the competitive advantage businesses gain from adopting digital tools and the risk that this entails. While Belgian small businesses tend to optimise their activities through technology, they do not yet have the in-house expertise required to recognise cyber threats or to implement cybersecurity strategies. They are therefore a prey of choice for hackers.
It is crucial for small businesses to have a comprehensive understanding of the cyber threat landscape, as well as the associated risks and vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, there is a noticeable lack of awareness among small businesses regarding these issues. In recent years, awareness-raising programmes have rarely been targeted at or tailored to small businesses, and their effectiveness has barely been evaluated. In recent years, awareness-raising programs have seldom been targeted at or tailored to small businesses, and their effectiveness has received minimal evaluation.
What are the risks in the event of an attack?
Hackers are able to use a variety of channels to attack your business. The most common channels are theft of identifiers, phishing, exploitation of vulnerabilities and botnets.
Once hackers have gained access to your digital environment, the cyber risks to which you are exposed can be divided into the following five categories:
- Destruction of information or resources;
- Corruption of information;
- Theft, recovery or loss of information or resources;
- Disclosure/leaking of information;
- Interruption of service.
These risks have a direct impact on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your business's information and resources. The latter must be protected if you want to continue your activities and those of your customers.
In practice, almost 50% of small businesses attacked are at risk of losing all their data. An attack can cost you up to 4 million euros.
Some preventive measures against attacks
Always keep your systems up-to-date
It is vital to ensure that all your software is up-to-date. Hackers often manage to gain entry into a business's system because one of the employees is still using an old version of the software that has security flaws.
Have a strong password and two-factor identification
Having a unique password for each of your accounts and applying multi-factor identification is easy to do and considerably reduces the chances of you being attacked.
Train your team
All it takes is one mistake to let a hacker into the system. To avoid this, it is best to train everyone in your business in good cybersecurity practices.
Perform a risk assessment test
All too often, the risks of cyber-attacks are underestimated. A number of online tools are available free of charge and give you an overview of your business's vulnerabilities. If you want to go further, specialist companies offer cyber-security audits or penetration tests.
Back up your data
If a hacker enters your business's system, he or she will very often encrypt your data and paralyse your operations. A simple tip to avoid being hit too hard is to set up a backup and recovery plan for your data.
Initiatives and training for small businesses
To help small and medium-sized enterprises, Belgium recently launched a series of initiatives to raise your awareness and provide you with training. In 2023, FPS Economy launched the national "Ma PME Cybersécurisée" (My Cybersecure SME). As part of this campaign, co-financed by the European Union, around 10 organisations and companies are offering free training for small and medium-sized enterprises. One such player is HeadMind Partners, which offers free training in good cyber practices in the workplace, in the form of an escape game. HeadMind Partners also offers a crisis exercise to learn the good practices to have in the event of a cyber-attack.
If you want to go further, we invite you to read and follow the recommendations in "Cybersecurity - A guide for SMEs". The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), in collaboration with the Cyber Security Coalition, has created this guide listing 12 security themes, each with recommendations for better protection. This guide has been specially created for small and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, a "Cyberscan" has also been developed by FPS Economy, enabling companies to assess their cyber risk and receive some tailored advice.
In conclusion
As a self-employed person and/or business owner, you run a high risk of being exposed to a cyber-attack. So the question to ask is not therefore "Is my business going to be attacked?" but rather "When is it going to be attacked?"
And this attack may be catastrophic. So, to avoid this, adopt good cyber-security practices now, at a lower cost. The security of your business is in your hands!
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