Just being a small business doesn’t make anyone immune from cyber threats. No matter how many employees your business has, your title or mortgage-related business likely stores enough valuable NPI and data to make it interesting to cyber criminals. If anything, small businesses need to be extra vigilant for things like ransomware and phishing.
As we know, the title industry is powered by large and small businesses. The owners of too many small agencies frequently assume that international cyber syndicates will only target the highest volume, highest revenue providers. Far from it. Cybercriminals know that the firms with the smallest cybersecurity budgets are the smaller firms. So whether you do 100 orders or 1,000 a month, your agency likely hosts enough useful data (read: profitable for criminals) to eventually make it a target.
One great resource for small business owners seeking to stay on top of their cybersecurity can be found at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST’s Small Business Cybersecurity Corner is a great, free resource that’s updated frequently—well worth a bookmark.
The Small Business Cybersecurity Corner has great information and informational videos on things like defending against ransomware, protecting your business from phishing and—one of our favorites—the importance of multi-factor authentication throughout your business. The site is also full of useful instruction and information on things like employee awareness, telework and training. After all, no technology works as well as it can without it being used properly by its users.
While a lot of the information we discuss when it comes to cybersecurity may seem basic to some, it’s truly amazing how often we see businesses that have spent thousands on their cybersecurity, only to neglect something simple like multi-factor authentication or the consistent enforcement of cybersecurity policies among employees. We can’t stress enough that it only takes one simple breach for a sophisticated cybercriminal to cripple your business or, even worse, put you out of business.
Be sure to give the Small Business Cybersecurity Corner a look. And, as always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re ready to bulk up your own cybersecurity efforts.
