Expect a security breach? Protection for SMEs16 March 2006
Around half of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) expect that their IT systems will come under attack and their security be breached at some point over the course of the next year, according to research from government small business advice site Business Link.
Security attacks from viruses or hackers can cause significant problems for businesses of all sizes. Once a PC or network is infected, functionality could be affected, software corrupted and made worthless and priceless business data lost forever. Viruses, worms and Trojans can reveal to their author authentication details such as passwords and open individuals and organisations up to financial loss.
An unprotected PC is likely to be subject to attack within an average of 20 minutes of connecting to the internet. Despite this, the Business Link survey found that a fifth of SMEs do not have confidence in their own understanding of what it takes to protect IT systems against attack and a large proportion do not have a dedicated IT security policy in place.
Protection
In order to defend IT and vital company data from viruses, it is essential that small businesses invest in firewalls and virus patches. If an IT system does not have a firewall capability already built in, one can be simply downloaded.
- Software firewalls can be found on the online and establish the PC as a "gateway" to the internet, providing a barrier against malicious access.
- Hardware firewalls are a separate unit which themselves act as the gateway and so are usually a one-off investment.
A package that combines a firewall with added anti-virus software, such as BT Internet Security Pack is a good option for broad protection for small business.
However, security software manufacturer Symantec has just released research suggesting that hackers and "cyber-criminals" could be set to shift away from using malicious tools such as viruses for financial gain. While the number of virus, worm and Trojan attacks increased to make up 80 per cent of the top software threats, other scams such as phishing also increased.
This suggests a more targeted and low-profile approach, which seeks to trick individuals into revealing their own sensitive data, rather than the more broad virus infection approach. As such, it is important that staff members and companies as a whole are vigilant to these kinds of attacks.
- Avoid opening emails or attachments from unknown senders.
- Avoid downloading items from the internet, particularly from unfamiliar sites.
- Advise staff of your IT security policy to reduce the risk of misuse and therefore infection.
As well as anti-virus software and firewalls, businesses should also be prepared for dealing with an attack and subsequent IT problems. It is worth investigating a support package that can help small businesses minimise the impact of such problems on operations. Click here to find out about BT's IT Support Manager.
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