---
title: "How To Protect Your SMBs (Small Medium Businesses) From Phishing | Phish Protection"
description: "How To Protect Your SMBs (Small Medium Businesses) From Phishing: In the 21st century, enterprises are facing a severe threat from people they have not met."
image: "https://phishprotection.com/og/blog/how-to-protect-your-smbs-small-medium-businesses-from-phishing.png"
canonical: "https://phishprotection.com/blog/how-to-protect-your-smbs-small-medium-businesses-from-phishing/"
---

Quick Answer

In the 21st century, enterprises are facing a severe threat from people they have not met, and may never meet. \_Digitalization means the bad guys no longer have to be present at the site of their crimes\_. As a result, tight security at the office premises and money kept in the safe are not enough insurance against cyber thieves.

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In the 21st century, enterprises are facing a severe threat from people they have not met, and may never meet. _Digitalization means the bad guys no longer have to be present at the site of their crimes_. As a result, tight security at the office premises and money kept in the safe are not enough insurance against cyber thieves.

### The Need To Protect SMBs From Cyber Attacks

_A majority of businesses today run their operations online and have sensitive information in databases_. Organizations big or small are willing to protect this data from any breach to happen, _a business, no matter how big or small, is vulnerable to cyber crimes_. A successful attack, though very costly, may not necessarily deal the final blow to large corporations; however, the same cannot be said for _Small Medium Businesses (SMBs) for whom a single attack may be enough to put them out of operation_.

More than 28 million [small businesses](https://www.business.com/articles/hackers-targeting-smbs/) exist in the US alone, and an estimated **90 percent** of them don’t have adequate measures to [protect against phishing](/) on their data and those of their clients. Unsurprisingly, attackers [managed](https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/5-easy-ways-protect-small-business-phishing-attacks/#gref) to breach half of these SMBs in the US in 2016 alone.\_ A well-known and often-used technique of **email phishing** accounts for most of the breaches\_

_The high success rate, coupled with an increasing number of SMBs in the market, is encouraging hackers, and they see small businesses as vulnerable and soft targets_. In such a scenario, we cannot stress enough the importance for small enterprises to protect their systems and processes from **phishing attacks**. SMBs should take cyber threats seriously, analyze their vulnerabilities, and deploy adequate countermeasures to protect their business assets.

![What is spear phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/06/what-is-spear-phishing-1118.jpg) 

### Types Of Attacks On SMBs

> “When I talk to prospects about phishing protection, I don’t lead with features - I lead with math. A single successful BEC attack costs $125,000 on average. Phish Protection for a 50-person company costs $49 a month. The ROI calculation writes itself. You’re not buying software, you’re buying insurance that actually works.” - **Dan Calkin**, VP of Sales, DuoCircle

The most popular and active attacks are in the form of phishing attacks, which typically involve a fake email claiming to be from a trusted and familiar name. _The idea is to trick employees into providing sensitive financial information for further exploitation of the business_. These tactics are behind the majority of breaches to individuals’ and organizations’ databases. We will recommend a variety of [best practices](/phishing-protection-best-practices-guide/) for small businesses to **prevent any data breach** through phishing attacks. 

Other cyber threats to be aware of include ransomware and malware. _Hackers often use ransomware as an attachment with the phishing email_. These attacks have been costing enterprises millions of dollars. For instance, Aerospace engine component manufacturer FACC lost $55 million from a [spear phishing attack](/blog/13-spear-phishing-attacks-examples-to-justify-investment-for-phishing-prevention-solutions-in-your-organization/). Small businesses are susceptible to these attacks as they don’t have the right expertise or tools to deal with such an attack. In 2018, **58% of malware attack** victims were small businesses. _With 92% of malware delivered by email, it is crucial that SMBs take proactive steps to protect their businesses and train employees_.

### Measures To Protect Your Small Business From Any Phishing Activity

_It may be difficult for small organizations to field a dedicated IT staff or allocate significant budget to protect their assets from attacks_; however, protecting yourself may not require as much expertise or resources as you think.

#### How Do You Implement training programs?

With something as dangerous as a phishing attack, it is essential that you, along with your team, are aware of the consequences of such an attack. Arrange regular [awareness training sessions](/blog/in-honor-of-cybersecurity-awareness-month-heres-the-only-fact-you-need-to-know/) to understand the **malicious phishing attacks** an SMB might face and the safeguards. All your employees are highly susceptible to be the point of access in a cyber-threat. _Try to engage some experts as part of the awareness training_. Keep a separate session on phishing attacks as they are the most sought after mechanism.

#### Designating a cybersecurity person

_It is crucial to appoint a person who will look after all the security measures for your company._ This person will be responsible for leveraging all the upgraded **cybersecurity solutions**. If you fail to take this vital step, security loopholes may end up causing a severe threat.

#### Purchasing cyber insurance

_Most organizations ensure good company insurance policies, but rarely check if they contain clauses for cyber-attacks_. If a company is under serious threat, they could run out of business within six months. So to **protect yourself** from any such scenario, it is advisable that you buy an insurance policy which can help you deal with the recovery.

#### Updating all software

Cyber attackers usually tend to use the latest technique to hack your systems. _It is essential to make sure that all your systems are using the latest version of all software_. Many worms and viruses can easily exploit vulnerabilities that the new version of updates may fix. The updated software can also help you in quickly identifying new malware.

#### Conducting drills

You have taught you team about cyber threats and given them all sort of awareness training kits. But without any [real-time testing](/blog/how-using-anti-phishing-email-templates-to-train-your-employees-can-avoid-phishing-attacks/), you won’t be able to counter-attack if a serious one happens. You can start by sending a phoney **phishing email** to a bunch of staff and observe if they are following the set of perquisite protocols.

![What is spear phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/2020/06/what-is-spear-phishing-1117.jpg) 

#### Disaster Recovery Plan

A backup plan always works, and _it is critical to have a recovery plan in case of a severe phishing threat_. But don’t just build the program; get it tested with some reputable IT professionals before storing it. The best [disaster recovery plans](https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-write-a-disaster-recovery-plan-for-your-business-2533756) exist to allow employees to take practical actions in case of an attack or for cleaning up a mess after a breach.

#### Utilizing cybersecurity services

There are a lot of options to support your **IT security issues**. Generally, people fail to understand the necessity, and the cost of such [services](https://singlepointoc.com/3-ways-to-protect-your-smb-from-phishing-and-cyber-threats/) is often a factor in their decision-making; however, _the cost of employing reputable services are still small when compared to the cost of having a data breach cleaned up_.

### The Final Words

_Phishing attacks and other cyber threats are ever-present, regardless of the size of the businesses they target_. The countermeasures against these attacks are often simple actions that people overlook. Such **security oversights** are what land organizations in a problem. Though the steps mentioned above to protect your small business from phishing attacks cannot be guaranteed to provide you with a 100 percent security, you will find that they can deal with most of the phishing threats if you take them seriously and implement them as [phishing protection](/) measures. _Remember that a little extra effort on your part can go a long way in maintaining the safety of your organization._

## Topics

[ Phishing ](/tags/phishing/) 

![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/phishprotection/images/authors/brad-slavin.jpg) 

[ Brad Slavin ](/authors/brad-slavin/) 

General Manager

Founder and General Manager of DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across DuoCircle's 2,000+ customer base.

[LinkedIn Profile →](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradslavin) 

## Protect your inbox from phishing attacks

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[Start Free Trial](https://portal.duocircle.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=101&brand=phishprotection) [View Pricing](/pricing/) 

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[  Foundational 5m  0ktapus, Okta Breach Helps Attackers Launch Sophisticated Supply Chain Attacks  Sep 5, 2022 ](/blog/0ktapus-okta-breach-helps-attackers-launch-sophisticated-supply-chain-attacks/)[  Foundational 4m  13 Spear Phishing Attacks Examples To Justify Investment For Phishing Prevention Solutions In Your Organization  Aug 1, 2019 ](/blog/13-spear-phishing-attacks-examples-to-justify-investment-for-phishing-prevention-solutions-in-your-organization/)[  Foundational 4m  All 14 centers of Kettering Health were affected by a massive ransomware attack, Major outage in the Ohio medical center  May 23, 2025 ](/blog/14-centers-of-kettering-health-were-affected-by-massive-ransomware-attack-in-ohio-medical-center/)[  Foundational 4m  2021 Phishing Trends You Need To Be Wary Of  Aug 2, 2021 ](/blog/2021-phishing-trends-to-be-wary-of/)

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