Suddenly, a story about national brands becomes a scenario that could impact any significant or even small business.
As a business owner, here’s what I’m reflecting on…
1) Cyber Budget: Smart Investment or Wishful Thinking?
Are we treating cybersecurity as a business essential—or hoping for the best? Is the budget protecting what matters?
2) Can Your Business Survive If Your Biggest Customer or Supplier Goes Dark?
What happens if your most important partner is suddenly offline for days (or weeks)? Would it hit your cash flow or stall operations because your systems are tightly integrated? How much do you rely on their tech working or cash?
3) If Your Systems Are Toast or you pull the plug, Can You Still Talk to Your Team?
Many retailers shut down their IT systems during the recent attacks. But how did they communicate after that? Do you have a true “out of band” backup, such as a secondary Microsoft 365 tenant, Google Workspace, or Zoho Workplace, a spare domain, or a secure messaging app, ready to go if email and Teams are down?
4) 99% of Breaches Aren’t Hollywood Cyber Thrillers
Most incidents won’t be caused by “elite hackers” or movie-style attacks. It’s the boring stuff: weak passwords, old software, missed updates, and human error. Focus on the basics and security awareness training, and you’ll block most threats.
5) Beware of Double or Triple Extortion
Ransomware isn’t just about getting your files back anymore. Attackers may demand a second payment to delete their copy or, worse, sell your access to others, putting your suppliers or customers at risk down the chain. Is this what happened with that food and logistics company?
A shout out to some excellent content from the vendors – Brian Kane at Malwarebytes, Jack Cook at Kaseya & Steven Wood at OpenText
