The Growing Reliance on Technology and Cyber Threats: The Cost to Businesses

The Growing Reliance on Technology and Cyber Threats: The Cost to Businesses

The Growing Reliance on Technology and Cyber Threats: The Cost to Businesses 150 150 Morris County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC)

The risk of cyber related crimes has escalated into a significant private sector crisis. A growing number of business emergencies caused by data breaches and ransomware attacks have swept the globe in recent years. According to the Department of Justice, more than 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred daily since January 1, 2016. Moreover, according to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center, there have been a total of 353 breaches in 2017  reported by major employers and a total number of 1,306,951 personal records that have been stolen. Some of the more recent victims include Saks Fifth Avenue and Dun & Bradstreet.

Small businesses and multi-national corporations alike need to arm themselves with the knowledge to combat such a situation because as businesses continue to invest in technology, their risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime increases as well. A study from the 2017 Clutch Small Business Survey states that 71% of small businesses say that they have a website while 92% of small businesses without websites say that they will have one by the end of 2018. While it is important to have an online presence, it is critical to note that there is an ongoing threat that exists that may put your business’ private information in jeopardy. Fortunately, businesses can make use of free tools like the OWASP Switchblade 4.0, created by  Tom Brennan, that will help protect and test for certain attacks.

To inform businesses on the different types of cyber-attacks and the defense strategies that business can implement, the MCEDC is hosting a “Secure your Business” event and live webinar on April 6, 2017 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm with experts in the field. The speakers for this event are Tom Brennan of the OWASP Foundation, James Mottola of Sobel & Co., LLC, Mark Perkins of ID Resolution, Khizar Sheikh of Mandelbaum Salsburg, and James Venezia of Phoenix Insurance Group. To register, please call (973) 210-607 or email rwanthouse@morriscountyedc.org.

Loading...