Cybercrime is a growing threat for businesses as attackers are getting more creative and skilled in their methods of stealing information, The Tennessean reports. Cyberattacks on large companies such as Target, Neiman Marcus and P.F. Chang’s have made headlines but what most don’t realize is that small to midsize businesses are just as big a target as larger companies.
John Mensel, security expert at Concept Technology, said smaller businesses ask, “Am I really a target?” He says, “My answer is emphatically ‘yes.’ You’re not only a target, you are being actively attacked.” Many small-business owners believe they are under the radar. Mensel said this mindset can be “very dangerous.” Cybersecurity firm Symantec says businesses with under 250 employees represented 31 percent of all attacks in 2012. Smaller businesses focus on good firewalls and anti-virus software; Mensel says, “Here in 2014, that’s not enough.”