In yesterday’s #ChatSMB, we covered small business cybersecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you to all of those who joined in and participated! A special thank you to Robert Herjavec, CEO and founder of Herjavec Group, for sharing your cybersecurity expertise with us! We had quite an audience for this #ChatSMB, with a potential reach of 14.8 million users, 438 conversations across Twitter, and 21.6 thousand Tweet impressions for the day.
Here are some of our favorite answers from the Twitter chat:
Q1: How has the COVID-19 outbreak impacted small businesses in terms of cyber-attacks?
It’s crazy – COVID19 has really painted a bullseye on every business. What it comes down to is cyber hygiene: how likely is it that your employees are aware of phishing campaigns? How is working from home impacting their behaviour? Big or small – no business is spared #chatsmb https://t.co/CDOsdigbN5
— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) May 19, 2020
The #COVID19 outbreak has caused a rise in scams for small businesses and individuals. Check out my last live stream for tips to avoid the types of #scams that are circulating in the wake of #COVID19 https://t.co/YNfBgTFW0c #ChatSMB https://t.co/jDqbLUkT4W
— Kristin Judge (@kfjudge) May 19, 2020
Q2: What cybersecurity risks are associated with working remotely? How can small businesses prepare for or mitigate these risks?
Many employees may be co-mingling devices with others in the home. A single computer used for company, personal, & educational/remote learning purposes. To combat- set up a virtual machine or dual boot your computer to segment/isolate the various purposes. #chatsmb https://t.co/r7r2MsNaRV
— David Derigiotis (@DavidDerigiotis) May 19, 2020
The Cyber Readiness Institute has several Remote Work Resources that are being updated on a regular basis! View them all here: https://t.co/lBi5KqniRd #chatsmb @robertherjavec @HerjavecGroup @cybersupportnet https://t.co/ixxxAU3YMS
— Cyber Readiness Institute (@Cyber_Readiness) May 19, 2020
Q3: What are some key cybersecurity best practices for small business owners utilizing video conferencing?
Make sure your team is password protecting all meetings & restrict host/presenter access as much as you can if your audience includes members external to your team. Another plug – @HerjavecGroup has a great blog on security practices on this topic https://t.co/xPIZgqHLOk #ChatSMB https://t.co/HUxrU7DMYB
— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) May 19, 2020
Every video conferencing platform has a list of best practices you can follow to ensure that meetings are secured. SMBs should make sure that they do the necessary research and instill in their teams the importance of following the recommended best practices #ChatSMB https://t.co/PaUXfgPIwo
— Herjavec Group (@HerjavecGroup) May 19, 2020
A3: Passwords and strong security settings are always your friends, especially when working from home. Keep your security setting updated & your info safe. #ChatSMB https://t.co/fKliXlhbto
— WU Consumer Protection (@WUStopFraud) May 19, 2020
Q4: Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak to create new phishing scams, potentially increasing the risk for a data breach. How should small businesses prepare?
Cyber hygiene is a continuous process – but it really is the basic foundation of security. You have to build security into the culture of your company and lead from the top down #ChatSMB (2/2) https://t.co/KtrgZ9h9XR
— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) May 19, 2020
Teach and create a culture of security awareness so employees know how to identify #phishing scams and are empowered to speak up. At @TechStakHQ we compare notes on phishing attempts that have come through our inboxes. This tells me my team is on top of it! #ChatSMB https://t.co/rMwzI7dwwY
— TechStak (@TechStakHQ) May 19, 2020
Q5: How has COVID-19 changed the cybersecurity landscape for small businesses?
I think it’s brought cybersecurity top of mind for a lot of SMBs – it’s natural to have really big companies dedicate time and resources on cyber – but SMBs are realizing that they’re just as much of a target to cyber crime as the big guys #ChatSMB https://t.co/h7x74hmZLK
— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) May 19, 2020
It’s made them more vulnerable than ever before. It has also made more free resources and tools available through organizations like @cybersupportnet @HerjavecGroup @Cyber_Readiness @TechStakHQ #ChatSMB https://t.co/DTFqZGoCGJ
— TechStak (@TechStakHQ) May 19, 2020
Q6: How can businesses prepare now to go back to normal operation in the future?
It’s made them more vulnerable than ever before. It has also made more free resources and tools available through organizations like @cybersupportnet @HerjavecGroup @Cyber_Readiness @TechStakHQ #ChatSMB https://t.co/DTFqZGoCGJ
— TechStak (@TechStakHQ) May 19, 2020
Q7: Do you have any more small business cybersecurity insight to share?
You have to stay ahead of the threat curve – keep cybersecurity top of mind by reading the latest industry trends & news. Cyber crime will never go away but for SMBs, a lot of what’s missing can be done by taking small steps (eg. establishing a good password policy) #ChatSMB https://t.co/1CjoLz8r4F
— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) May 19, 2020
Thank you again for sharing such valuable insight and resources yesterday. Remember to follow Herjavec Group to stay up-to-date with the wonderful work that they do. See you next time!