Cybersecurity for SMEs: five things, in order.
You do not have to be unbreakable. You have to be harder to get into than the next company on the list.
Short answer
Cybersecurity for SMEs comes down to a handful of measures that together stop most attacks: two-step verification on all accounts, devices and software kept up to date, a backup an attacker cannot delete, limited admin rights and someone who looks at the alerts. Jevana sets these up in the order that pays off most, and then keeps them up as part of management.
The order
- 01
Second step
Two-step verification on email, the accounting package and everything with client data. This stops the most.
- 02
Updating
Laptops, phones, the firewall and the website. Automatic, so it does not depend on anyone's memory.
- 03
Backup
In a place an attacker cannot reach, and restored once to see whether it works.
- 04
Rights
Nobody works as an administrator day to day. Whoever leaves cannot get in from the same day.
- 05
Watching
Alerts about suspicious logins and infected devices go to someone who acts on them.
How an attack on a small business really goes
Nobody picks out an installation firm with twenty staff as a target. Attackers work from lists: millions of email addresses, millions of leaked passwords, millions of devices missing a known update. Anyone who appears on those and has the door open is next.
It usually starts with one mailbox. A password that was also used elsewhere, or a fake login page. From that mailbox an invoice with a changed account number goes to a client, or a password reset goes to the accounts department. The damage is rarely technical. It is money transferred to the wrong place.
The terms, briefly
Endpoint security
- Protection on the laptop or phone itself
- More than a virus scanner: it watches behaviour
- Can cut an infected device off from the network
Zero trust
- No device is trusted just because it is at the office
- Every login is judged again
- In practice: two-step verification, managed devices, access per application
Ransomware
- Software that encrypts files and demands a ransom
- Arrives through email, a vulnerability or a stolen password
- The only certainty is a backup the attacker could not reach
Questions
Where does a small business start with cybersecurity?
Start with two-step verification on your email. The mailbox is the key to almost everything else, because passwords are reset there. Then come automatic updates, a backup outside the network and clearing up admin rights. These four measures cost little and stop most of the attacks small businesses face.
Is a virus scanner still enough?
No. A classic virus scanner recognises known malicious files, while many attacks no longer use a file: they log in with a stolen password or misuse ordinary tools of the system. Protection on the device therefore has to watch behaviour. More important still is everything around it: two-step verification, updates and a backup.
What do you do in the first hour after a hack?
Take the affected device off the network, but do not switch it off: there are traces in its memory. From another device, change the mailbox password and end all sessions. Warn your administrator and your bank. Pay nothing and delete nothing. If we manage your IT, you call or email, and we take over the steps.
What does zero trust mean for a company of twenty people?
It means being at the office is no longer a reason to trust someone. Every login asks for a second step, only known and updated laptops reach company data, and everyone can only reach what they need. That sounds big, but with Microsoft 365 Business Premium it is a few settings. It is not a product you buy.
Can you help if we have already been hit by ransomware?
Yes, as far as recovery goes. We establish what was hit, isolate it and restore systems from a backup if there is one. Then we find the way in and close it. Forensic investigation for an insurer or a police report is a speciality of other firms. We refer you to them and work with them.
Goes well with
-
Microsoft 365 security
Two-step verification, conditional access and Defender: what is in your licence, switched on and checked.
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NIS2
What the Cyberbeveiligingswet asks of you technically, even if it does not cover you but covers your clients.
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Backup and recovery
Backups of servers, workstations and a NAS to separate storage, with a restore test at a fixed moment.
-
Password management
A password vault for the whole team, so shared passwords no longer sit in a spreadsheet.
-
DNS filtering
Harmful and fake websites blocked before the page loads, at the office and on the road.
-
authentik
One login for all your applications, with two-factor authentication, on a server we keep up to date.
From the knowledge base
-
A colleague clicked a phishing link: what do you do now?
Someone clicked or typed in their password. What to do straight away, what to check afterwards and when you have to report it.
-
SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained: why does your email end up in spam?
Three DNS settings decide whether your business email arrives. What they do, what goes wrong and why you should not set them up halfway.
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Ransomware: what do you do in the first hours?
Files encrypted and a ransom note on the screen. What to do straight away, what to leave alone and how to get back to work.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems