Cyber Security Bytes – with Computers Unplugged

Written and provided by Computers Unplugged

Cybersecurity is something small businesses don’t worry about – until they do and it’s usually too late.

It’s something people don’t like to think about and hope that it just won’t happen to them.

It’s an uncomfortable topic, and most people don’t like to think about it. They block their ears and hope it doesn’t happen to them. I often hear, “My business is too small to worry about cybersecurity.” It would be nice if that were the case.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as small businesses have increasingly become easy targets for cybercriminals. That’s largely because small businesses don’t invest as much in cybersecurity. Larger businesses have caught on and strengthened their defences, forcing cybercriminals to look elsewhere.

We had a customer come across to us after their email account was breached. Even after updating their passwords, the attackers were still able to see new information.

Attackers don’t usually strike right away. They take a copy of your entire inbox, then sit quietly and watch. They learn who you deal with, how you talk, what your invoices look like, and how you communicate. They can be in there for months before making a move.

If their main attack fails, they often leave back doors to get back in. Then even when they fail, they have a copy of your existing emails – which can be worse. Maybe there’s a client or contact they can trick. Maybe you have gone through a finance application and have your financials sitting in there. Suddenly, they have all the tools they need to take out fraudulent loans in your name, trick your business contacts into paying them money instead of you and who knows what else?

Before protections existed for this kind of attack, we had a construction company get hit with one of the first ransomware infections. The attackers encrypted all their data – locking everything with a password. All their computers and backups were hit. The attackers demanded thousands of dollars to get their data back. The company was eventually able to get back on their feet but later went out of business. These are just some examples of how damaging these attacks can be.

Luckily, there are now new technologies to block and counteract most kinds of these attacks, but a lot of small businesses don’t employ them.  Tools like EDR/MDR, SASE, cloud backup, DNS filtering, and email scanning help small businesses access the same protections once only available to big enterprises.

We are a small MSP (Managed IT Service Provider) located in Narre Warren. My dad started the business back in 2003 and I took over the company back in 2011. It went from a small computer shop running from his home in Koo Wee Rup to an MSP looking after over 100 businesses today. We always keep security as a high priority and have minimum level of protection we offer our customers – Because their safety is just as important to them as it is to us. If one of our customers is hacked, we both lose – in reputation, financially, and in time.

Damien Matthys is the Director of Computers Unplugged, a Managed IT Service Provider based in Narre Warren. Since taking over the family business in 2011, he has helped over 100 small businesses across Melbourne stay secure, productive, and prepared.

To learn more about how we protect businesses like yours, visit www.computersunplugged.com.au or call us on (03) 8393 0530.