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Cyberthreats loom for small businesses

Despite the best efforts of the worldwide community's cybersecurity professionals, data breaches have become a rampant problem. The issue has become so overwhelming that many security experts have begun to abandon the notion of fully protecting their networks from hackers. SecurityPark reported that a recent survey of nearly 250 IT security professionals found that more than 70 percent of respondents refused to guarantee that their organization would not become a victim of a data breach within the next six months.

It has been understood in the past that hackers generally prefer to target larger enterprises. The amount and quality of data that can be accessed is so much greater than the amount stored within small operations that cyberthieves have been willing to take the risk of attempting to breach stronger network defenses. However, recent reports suggest that small businesses are getting hit just as hard by cybercrime. Symantec's "Internet Security Threat Report 2013" report found that small businesses now account for a larger percentage of cyberattacks than they had in the past. In 2011, companies with no more than 250 employees were the targets of 18 percent of reported cyberattacks. However, that figure rose to 31 percent in the following year.

The report cited a lack of cybersecurity resources as one of the primary reasons small businesses have been targeted. Another potential motivation behind the increase could be hackers looking to use a small business' website as a "watering hole". By infiltrating a smaller company with weaker defenses, cybercriminals can potentially gain access to networks operated by their larger business partners. To protect against such plots, organizations should utilize encryption to protect their sensitive data while it is in transit.  SSL certificates can be employed to encrypt that information while it is on the move.

Cybercriminals are increasing their scope and targeting large and small businesses alike. Protect critical, in-transit data with an SSL certificate.

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