SMB State of Insecurity - Twenty-Four Seven Security

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October 23, 2007
SMB State of Insecurity

Webroot has just issued their quarterly State of Internet Security Report, and it has highlighted some startling survey results about the current state of SMB security.

"Unlike larger corporations, SMBs often lack the monetary resources and IT expertise to install and maintain the type of protection needed in the face of today's growing malware threats. The real dichotomy here is that most of these companies think the real threats are viruses and worms, but the reality is the percentage of spyware is much higher and growing quickly," said Peter Watkins, CEO, Webroot Software. "As a result, these companies are easier targets for cyber criminals when compared to larger companies with dedicated IT security resources."

In terms of small companies still under the impression that viruses are the real threats, make sure you tune into this Thursdays podcast with Ed Adams, the CEO of Security Innovation, where he explains how many companies fall into the "recency trap," meaning companies are often chasing the most immediate security threat they read in the news, which often overlooks their real vulnerabilities.

SMBs make up a majority of the worlds businesses, totaling more than 99.5 percent of all businesses. Because of the sheer number of SMBs (small and medium sized businesses, if you're still wondering), and their limited IT resources, they make easy prey for cyberthieves. The report highlighted the following three most immediate risks:

1) Pervasive internet use: 75% of SMBs said their success depends on the internet.
2) Home and remote workers: 52% of new businesses are one or the other.
3) The need to store sensitive customer information.

"We're seeing a perfect storm developing that could possibly have serious economic impact. SMBs are heavily reliant on the Internet for their work, making them a target. Compounding matters, there has been a 183 percent increase in websites harboring spyware since January 2007, and SMBs aren't defending themselves adequately," added Watkins.

The remedy: for one, Webroot has published the following security guide small businesses. Also, as a small business, I would really start to look at some SMB end-point solutions, and also keep an eye out for SaaS security products, or security software as a service, which is usually hosted on someone elses machine, which is motivation enough for those companies to keep well-armored and up-to-date.