By Lauren Stacye, GadellNet Tech Blogger, Marketing Guru and Communications Manager
Hackers have done it again! In case you haven’t heard, Snapchat was recently hacked which resulted in 4.6 million users names and phone numbers being publically posted. However, unlike the also recent Target security breach, hacktivists were the culprits and opted to post only partial phone numbers… they did this to call attention to the significant and known vulnerabilities of Snapchat’s security, not for personal gain.
So why does this matter and what does it mean for business owners? The presence of technology has grown substantially over the past decade and continues to grow at an even faster pace. As our use of technology increases, the risk does too. Business owners are increasingly utilizing new technologies like cloud services, mobile devices, and mobile apps to transfer sensitive data- without effective cyber security features in place, the data being transferred is at risk of being compromised.
While cyber security poses a big risk on businesses in general, its impact on small business is much greater; because small businesses generally have less resources at their disposal to monitor and fight threats, they become more desirable targets for hackers. So what steps can businesses take to safeguard their data? Jason Fell of Entrepreneuer.com provides some excellent suggestions:
- Create and enforce a written security policy
- Use stronger passwords
- Encrypt your data
At GadellNet, we work with our clients on these issues to ensure their systems are safe and secure- and being a small business, we personally understand the importance security plays in allowing our business to run and run smoothly. If you haven’t looked into upping your security, there is no time like the present… and if you want any help navigating the waters of cyber security, our team at GadellNet is more than happy to assist.
