Recent news that a computer hacking attack against the S.C. Department of Revenue affected up to 657,000 businesses is drawing attention to cyber risks for small companies.
The compromised tax returns included social security numbers, federal tax identification numbers, credit and debit card numbers and bank accounts. It’s a substantial security breach that also claimed the tax records of 3.6 million S.C. taxpayers, too, dating back to 1998.
S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley said state businesses will be able to get free credit monitoring. But not everyone’s convinced they’re safe from threats.
The Greenville News quoted Frank Knapp, president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, as saying that what businesses are most concerned about “is how to protect ourselves.”
While this security breach involves an agency outside of the affected companies, there are things small businesses can do to safeguard themselves and their data from cyber threats.
Among the suggestions from the Federal Communications Commission: Requiring employees to change passwords frequently, regularly backing up data on all computers, and using security software. More FCC tips are here.
Posts
2 comments:
None of the tips you listed would have prevented the SC attack. While what you listed are good practices, the government should do a better job of protecting people's sensitive data. Encrypting sensitive data would be a good start.
We have some great cyber security resources in the Charlotte area if you'd like to develop this blog post further.
We have some great cyber security resources in the Charlasotte area if you'd like to develop this blog post further. 1st Web Directory
Post a Comment