06/04/2025

How to Protect Your Small Business from Ransomware Attacks

Consult this quick blueprint for strengthening your defenses

In late 2019, a telemarketing company in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area fell prey to a crippling ransomware attack. The company employed about 300 people when hackers demanded payment to restore access to the 61-year-old firm’s servers and all the information contained on them. The owner and CEO temporarily furloughed the entire workforce as she tried to regain control but eventually paid the ransom for a decryption key that was supposed to work. It didn't. The company appears to have since ceased operations.

Despite their small size—perhaps because of it—this business found itself squarely in a cybercriminal's crosshairs, demonstrating a sobering reality: Small does not mean safe in today's threat landscape. According to cybersecurity firm SonicWall’s mid-year threat report for 2024, there was a 15 percent increase in malware attacks in North America compared to the previous year, and they declared 2023 the third-worst year on record for ransomware attacks. Manufacturing, retail and healthcare sectors were the top targets, with attacks spreading to smaller professional firms and government offices.

For too long, many small-business owners have assumed they won't be targeted, although it appears criminals may increasingly see them as easy targets. And even if you're one of the lucky ones who survive a ransomware “kidnapping” of your servers, you could still suffer beyond ransom cost. Customers may decide to go somewhere else, the downtime alone could cost business and you could be liable for fines and legal fees.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Forbes.