There seems to be a constant supply of news stories involving high-profile, high-impact criminal cyber activity. More often than not, the data breaches that we hear about occur at large businesses or global organizations. This leads many people to think that it’s only those big companies who are at risk of being attacked. They incorrectly assume that today’s cybercriminal is always looking for a giant financial payout or a huge cache of personal data. But the reality is that small and mid-size businesses (SMB) are actually at greater risk.  

In their 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon found that 58% of all cyberattacks target small businesses. While it is true that the ultimate reward might not be as high as from a multinational organization, cybercriminals go after SMBs because they are easier to penetrate.  

Gaining access to a multinational organization can be difficult. Larger organizations have the budget and the obvious need to protect their networks. When you collect personal data from around the globe or generate billions in revenue, you dedicate time and resources to protecting yourself. SMBs, on the other hand, don’t always focus on cybersecurity the way they should. And this is what cybercriminals are counting on.