| Small business owners are targets for cyber-attacks just as much as large corporations. A big difference being small business owners don't have the finances or the assets to deal with such attacks. When small businesses need to defend their networks, where do they go? They research what technology is available. There are a lot of choices to be made when network defense is the question. There is not a clear cut answer or way of defending a network, no matter the company size. Just look at Target or Sony or any of the other companies whom have had their data stolen or leaked. Risk management is a great place to start. Defending a network takes time and money, and penetration testing or at the very least, vulnerability scanning can help prevent such vulnerabilities or flaws within the network from being exploited by hackers. Cyber threats are apparent and show no sign of slowing down. There may be no fool-proof way of defending a network, but at the very least, taking steps towards defending a network will save a lot of time and money in the future. Risks are common and business owners need to assess which risks are less likely to impact their business. The purpose of this research was to propose a matrix for small business owners to better defend their network. Anytime a business can reduce its risks and vulnerabilities, said businesses have taken strides in the right direction. Keywords: Cybersecurity, Professor Christopher Riddell, Penetration Testing, Personally Identifiable Information, Social Engineering, Insider Threats, and Cyber Policies. |
