There have been a number of large scale cyber attacks on large companies, such as JBS meatpacking and Colonial Pipeline, to name only a couple. The Biden administration has warned all business leaders, no matter the size of your business, that there needs to be increases to protect businesses against ransomware attacks. 

This warning comes as a result of President Joe Biden signing an executive order, which aims to protect the government against cyberattacks. There was also an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security relating to cybersecurity and what it means for pipeline companies. But what does this all mean for any small and medium sized businesses? 

Regularly Back Up Your Data

Backing up business data, any system images, and configurations is something that should be standard practice for all businesses. But there will be many, especially small businesses, who don’t back up their data as often as they should. 

By ensuring regular backups and that systems are regularly tested, it will help to prevent ransomware variants trying to find a way in to delete or corrupt data. By having backup offline, it will be critical for your business. If any malware did encrypt your data, it can be restored. If you’re not sure where to start with this, then consulting with an IT company is the best place to start.

Test Incident Response

By looking for any gaps or areas that need to be improved, the best way to do it is by testing it all out. If you want to go through some core examples and questions and see the response, then it can help to build an incident response plan. 

For instance, will your business be able to carry on operating if there is no access to a particular system? If it can, how long could it last for? Test out your incident responses and it can help your SMB as you move forward. 

Update and Patch Systems Promptly 

By updating and patching your systems up quickly and promptly, it will mean that the security of different operating systems, applications, and other firmware are updated in a timely manner. Think about using something like a centralized patch management system. 

This can help to give you a risk-based assessment strategy that you can use in order to move your patch management program forward.

Check that Your Security Team’s Work

By using a third-party tester to try out the security of your IT systems, it can help you to build a solid defense against a potential cyber attack. Many ransomware hackers and criminals are aggressive, as well as being sophisticated, so they will look for different ways to reach any ‘unlocked doors’ and find a way to get through them. 

The White House has reemphasized what all businesses need to have been doing for years. Cybersecurity is something to be taken seriously, as the threats are very real. Having a ‘wait and see’ approach to malware and cybersecurity is something that could cause disaster for all small or medium-sized businesses.