As we turn the corner on Halloween and start November, we officially kick off the holiday season! For some of us, this means going online and finding the best deals. While for others, this means going to the store and bringing home the best deals. Either way, this is the time of year that many of us make purchases with debit and credit cards. This creates a risk for the consumer. The risk of the small business is another risk to consider too! How can you protect your small business during the holiday season?
The Cybersecurity Risk Small Businesses Face during the Holidays
The holiday season is usually a very busy time for small businesses, and this year should be no different. For small businesses, this is also a time to be extra diligent of your payment processing systems, whether you are selling online or in a store.
How to Protect Your e-Commerce Business during the Holiday Season
We previously have discussed the increase of cyber-attacks on e-commerce websites. Protecting your e-commerce website is key to a successful holiday shopping season. Here are some tips:
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Verify the platform you are using has the latest updates
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Purchase website plug-ins from trusted sources that use the latest updates
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Use anti-malware on your website to scan for vulnerabilities
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Implement third-party solutions that directly address botnet attacks, remote code execution, and other cyber-attacks
How to Protect In-Store Purchases during the Holiday Season
Brick and mortar stores have their own unique cybersecurity risks during the holiday shopping season. Small businesses need to be extra cautious about how their Point of Sale (POS) systems connect to their network. Are they easily accessible on the business network? Are they segmented in a more secure network? Another thing to be on the lookout for is card skimmers being applied to your debit and credit card machines. We outline some best practices for safe in-store purchase protection below:
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Verify the platform you are using for your POS system is fully up-to-date, along with all the software that is on the device
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Check your debit and credit card machines throughout the day to ensure they have not been tampered with
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Make sure you have anti-malware solutions on your POS devices and keep it fully updated
For more information on small business cybersecurity, check out all of Small Business Big Threat’s offerings online!