When you say a ransomware breach in business, many people tend to think about cyber attacks against Google and other giant companies. 

But, the truth is ransomware attacks are also targeting SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). 

ATTENTION: Even SMEs are Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks

(Photo: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images) An IT researcher stands next to a giant screen of a computer infected by ransomware at the LHS (High Security Laboratory) of the INRIA (National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation) in Rennes, on November 3, 2016.

In 2022, Forbes reported that SMEs are more likely to be targeted by ransomware breaches compared to larger businesses. This was revealed by the Barracuda Networks, a cloud security firm. 

Researchers at the Barracuda Networks analyzed millions of emails across multiple companies between January 2021 and December 2021. 

They discovered that a staff of an SME with less than 100 workers is likely to experience over 300% more social engineering attacks compared to an employee of a larger company. 

Read Also: Bank of Ireland App Bug Gives Zero-Balance Clients Free Cash, Prompting Long Lines at ATMs

Cyber Attacks Commonly Attacking SMEs 

(Photo : ROB ENGELAAR/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) A laptop displays a message after being infected by ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack on June 27, 2017, in Geldrop. - The unprecedented global ransomware cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in more than 150 countries, Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said on May 14, 2017.

American enterprise software company Jumpcloud said that ransomware is the most common cyber attack in SMEs. Security researchers said that up to 70% of ransomware attacks are aimed at smaller businesses. 

Aside from ransomware, here are other malicious campaigns that are usually attacking SMEs: 

• Phishing 
• Supply-Chain Breaches
• Software Vulnerability Exploits 
• Attack Takeovers
• Advanced Persistent Threats

How SMEs Can Protect Themselves

ComputerWeekly reported that SMEs can protect themselves by establishing their DR (disaster recovery). 

This is why DR planning is very critical for smaller businesses, especially since cyber attacks are becoming more frequent. 

Here are the things that SMEs need to consider when establishing their DR: 

• SMEs must check if investing in infrastructure (physical resources) is worth it when it comes to protecting their systems from cyber-attacks. 
• The best option for smaller companies is to rely on cloud DR since it is cheaper and more practical. But, SMEs need to remember that sending data to the cloud can be costly. 
• Although in-house DR is not usually affordable, it is still a great option to protect SMEs from malicious campaigns. 
• SMEs need to know the most suitable DR providers for their businesses. Top DR providers include Google Cloud Platform, Azure, and AWS.  

These are just some of the important details that smaller businesses need to know when it comes to establishing their direct response. 

If you own a small business or work for small businesses, you can click this link to learn more about the importance of DR to your company.  

Related Article: This Ransomware Gang Claims It Breached Sabre's Data