The Government Shutdown Has Made Businesses into Sitting Ducks for Hackers

As the shutdown of the Federal government drags on into weeks (or perhaps months) instead of days, the writing on the wall for small-to-medium businesses couldn’t be clearer: The risks of falling prey to cyberattacks is higher than ever.

With massive-scale cybersecurity incidents becoming common enough to no longer merit being front-page news, the warning seems almost rote; at this point, most of us know that passwords are an ineffective means of securing accounts, and people at top-tier companies can fall for simple social engineering attacks. Personally identifiable information (PII) can now be bought for fractions of pennies on the Dark Web. 

The government shutdown has upped the stakes. Roughly two-thirds of CISA has been furloughed, resulting in fewer than 1000 federal employees performing the crucial work of connecting the dots between hacking campaigns and seeking a broader understanding. 

What Does This Mean For Your Company?

If you haven’t spent the time or the money to invest in your cybersecurity stance, now’s the time. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Train your employees: You can’t protect your network and your digital assets effectively if someone in your company leaves the front door unlocked. A top-to-bottom cybersecurity training program can help foster a culture of best practices.

• Install cybersecurity software and protocols: Few businesses can afford to lose days of productivity from a security breach. Having robust security programs in place, along with consistent backups across multiple forms of media and anti-phishing protections, can help save you from lost time and resources.

• Consider a cyber insurance policy: If all else fails, it’s good to have a cyber insurance policy in place to help recoup lost revenue and direct you to best practices.

Worried about cyberattacks hitting your bottom line? Not sure where to start a cybersecurity policy? Nodal can help! Contact us today.