Businesses of all sizes are targets for thieves hoping to gain access to their computers. Cybercriminals are hoping to profit from the data on your computer or the threat of permanently locking you out of the computer. Your tax practice contains a wealth of sensitive information in digital form, and no matter its size your business will always be a target for a cybercriminal.
What are the most common ways a criminal can gain access to your computer?
- Malware. Malware is a broad term for malicious software that is designed to cause damage to your PC or network.
- Viruses. A virus is a kind of malware that, like a human virus, is designed to spread throughout a network and infect multiple PCs.
- Ransomware. Ransomware is malware that is designed to restrict access to your PC until you pay a ransom.
- Phishing. Phishing is an attack by e-mail, and it comes in several varieties. One variety includes a link in an e-mail that when clicked takes you to a web page that loads malicious software on your PC. Another variety includes an attachment that when opened loads malicious software. A third variety attempts to trick you into providing sensitive personal information, such as a social security number or a credit card.
So, what can you do to protect yourself? Tackling cybersecurity doesn’t require you to become a computer expert, but it will require some research to discern your biggest vulnerabilities and to familiarize yourself with the tools and procedures you will use. It will also require educating your employees. And, it will require you to do things on a regular basis you may not have done before.
Adequate protection requires focus in several areas:
- Preventing a criminal from accessing your computer.
- Shielding valuable data from those who don’t need to see it.
- Backing up your data to help you recover from a breach if it occurs.
How to get started? Here are several good resources that will help you understand security better and guide you in the next steps to take:
IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data
Federal Trade Commission: Start With Security
SBA: Protecting your small business from cybersecurity attacks