The 8 Most Common Cybersecurity Weaknesses to Watch for in Small Businesses (2024)

Author: Larry Alton
Date Published: 29 October 2020

As a cybersecurity expert, you know that all it takes is a single weakness, or a single vulnerability to compromise the integrity of a business. It doesn’t help that small businesses are disproportionately targeted by hackers.

Unfortunately, many business owners are profoundly unaware of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities that exist within their business. The good news is, with your help, and a proactive approach, you can work together to close most of those exploitable openings.

Working with Business Owners
The first step in protecting a business is recognizing key areas of weakness, and convincing the business owner to take action. Many business owners have blind spots when it comes to cybersecurity because they lack experience or deep familiarity with the subject.

That’s why many small businesses turn to working with an outside cybersecurity company or consultant for this process. Cybersecurity experts will be able to quickly and easily assess the situation, and will not only provide advice on what to do next—in many cases, they’ll actually do it.

The Most Common Cybersecurity Weaknesses
So, what are the most common cybersecurity weaknesses faced by businesses?
Cybersecurity professionals should work with business owners to address the following, at minimum:

Lack of a high-level strategy. Many businesses, especially new and small ones, simply lack a high-level strategy for their cybersecurity needs. They don’t have any security infrastructure in place, either because they don’t take the topic seriously or because they deem it a comparatively low priority. However, this high-level strategy that sets the course for your main security priorities and your general approach to preventing and mitigating attacks is vital for success.
Unsecured networks. If the network isn’t secured, it’s trivially easy for nefarious parties to gain access to your system. And once they’ve infiltrated the network, they can gain access to practically all devices and systems connected to that network. This is a simple step to take, but it’s one that many business owners still neglect. It’s also a great opportunity to demonstrate your expertise.
Unsecured communication channels. If the business is regularly exchanging sensitive data, it’s also important to incorporate secure communication channels. For example, you might invest in an encrypted, secure email platform that you use to communicate directly with clients. Or you might establish protocols for using multifactor authentication when sending certain types of messages.
Unknown bugs. Sometimes, a bug or flaw in a given app can be responsible for giving cybercriminals an easy backdoor to your accounts. This could be an aspect of software you’re using from a third party, or it could be a flaw in the API that connects two different apps together. It’s impossible to prevent or detect all bugs, but you can improve your security by proactively scanning for bugs when possible, and vetting your vendors carefully before choosing them for your applications.
Outdated systems. Fortunately, most software developers and hardware manufacturers are constantly on the lookout for security threats that could hurt their users. When they find a problem, they issue a patch to eliminate that problem—but to make use of this patch, you have to update your hardware or software. If the business is using outdated systems because it isn’t updating regularly, the business could be at risk.
Lack of monitoring. Do you know what kind of traffic you’re seeing? Do you know the hallmarks of an attack like a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, or a ransomware attack? Would you be capable of identifying an attack in progress, and responding accordingly? Without proper monitoring and alert systems in place, the business will be vulnerable to these types of attacks.
IoT and multiple connection points. Many businesses are leveraging the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), with multiple connection points on a single network. While this is often associated with higher efficiency or productivity, it also means more points of vulnerability.
Untrained employees. Close to 90 percent of data breaches are caused by human error. Instead of some ultra-skilled hacker brute-forcing his way into your system, an employee volunteers his password after getting duped, providing an opportunist an easy way to gain access to the business’s data. That’s why untrained employees are one of your biggest vulnerabilities. It’s vital to train employees on best practices in cybersecurity, like teaching them to use strong passwords, helping them identify different types of attacks, and giving them instructions on how and when to use networks that aren’t theirs. It’s also important to retrain employees regularly, and make sure they’ve retained this information. All it takes is one slip from one person to jeopardize the health of the entire company.

There’s no way to protect a business against every variety of cyberattack or hack, but even the most rudimentary security strategies can help a small business—denying opportunists the low-hanging fruit. Talk to your employer to make sure they understand the true importance of cybersecurity, and work with them to guard against these most important vulnerabilities.