Cyber Thugs Laugh At Your Small Business’ Antivirus Software
An Interview with Chris Wright
Increasingly, small businesses are big targets for bad actors on the web. Recent analysis suggests that 46% of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees, with malware and ransomware attacks generating $2.8 billion in damages in 2020.1
“Small businesses are under the impression that because they are small, they are not serious targets,” says Chris Wright, co-owner of Sullivan Wright Technologies, who works with small businesses in Arkansas to provide IT support and infosecurity. Chris says that small business leaders too often underestimate cyber threats. “Often, they believe that their antivirus software will catch and prevent suspicious activity. By the time they realize they’ve been breached, it’s too late.”
As a veteran of Arkansas’ cyber defense community, Chris has seen it hundreds of times – small businesses in Arkansas who wait too long to take adequate measures to protect their sensitive information. Sometimes, it’s not even an attack that makes small business owners aware of their cyber inadequacies.
“If you work with government agencies, or if you’re a vendor to much larger companies, more often than not they will mandate that you harden your cyber security,” says Chris. “After all, cyber security is only as strong as its weakest link. You don’t want to be the weak link.”
The question is, where do small businesses turn to get a start on hardening their cyber security? Services like the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC), which is powered by Forge Institute, helps small businesses avoid the dreaded “Weak Link” tag. The ACDC provides essential counsel to small businesses and entrepreneurs needing to boost their cyber defense readiness and cope with potentially devastating cyber attacks.
“You have to think of cyber security as a community,” says Chris. “Yes, the ACDC is a great first step to hardening your own business’ cyber security. But by working with ACDC, you’re also adding to the state’s collective digital intelligence. There are more than a quarter of a million small businesses in Arkansas.2 Collaboration is how we ensure that Arkansas remains one of the strongest links in our nation’s cyber defense.”
How did small businesses become such attractive targets? As it turns out, attacking small businesses is actually good business for the web's worst actors.
“You can put a mountain of work into attacking a big business and maybe get a million dollars for the effort,” explains Chris. “Or you can put 90% less work in attacking ten small businesses at $100,000 a score. Unprotected small businesses are just an easier mark.”
What can small businesses do to prevent cyber terrorists from holding them to ransom? Chris speaks bluntly. “People ask me, what kind of anti-virus software should I buy? That’s like trying to decide what spatula to buy. Across the board, anti-virus software is about 35% effective. The truth is, cyber security isn’t a do-it-yourself project. What you need is intel, staff training, and people who can support you left and right of boom. That’s why small business leaders should get in touch with ACDC now.”
If you feel you’ve been victim of a cyber attack, or that your security may be a weak link, call the ACDC task team at (501) 239-9599 to receive access to the very best resources available.
1 https://www.getastra.com/blog/security-audit/small-business-cyber-attack-statistics/
