Think a firewall and antivirus are enough?

With 350,000 new malware discovered every day by AV-TEST Institute (a premier institution working on digital security), it’s more important than ever to secure your digital products and services.

To make matters worse, a data breach exposing client PII information can quickly escalate into serious reputational damage, fines, civil lawsuits and costly litigation. In its new 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Study for IBM, the Ponemon Institute continues to track the escalating year-over-year costs of data breaches.

According to the 2019 study, the average cost for each lost record increased from $148 in 2018 to $150 in 2019.

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?

PII is any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including (1) any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.

What Pieces of Information are Considered PII?

Any piece of personal information that can be used to identify an individual and includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Full name
  • Home address
  • Email address
  • Social security number
  • Passport number
  • Driver’s license number
  • Credit card numbers (even last 4)
  • Date of birth
  • Telephone number
  • Log in details
  • Gender
  • Race
  • Age
  • Workplace
  • Job position

So, even if you only have 20 clients, and your computer should get hacked, it could cost you (15 records X 20 clients X $150 per record) =

$45,000

And I’ll bet you have more than 20 clients.

It’s time to get serious about protecting your client’s data, employee’s jobs and your income. Attacks are becoming more sophisticated, even turning off your residential grade antivirus software before attacking your computers.

Are your firewall and antivirus worth the money?

Yes, security software is a vital part of your cybersecurity – but the keyword in that statement is “part”.

You should definitely invest in the usual cybersecurity solutions, firewall and antivirus, but they are not enough on their own. Cybercriminals have so many tactics and methods for penetrating a business like yours that you can’t settle for defending yourself on one front alone.

Still don’t think you need to be concerned?

Statistics report that 43% of cyber-attacks in 2018 targeted small businesses, and that percentage will only increase, and according to an IBM study, it takes an average of 197 days for a company to identify a data breach—and another 69 days to contain it. That’s for large businesses with IT Teams and Security Teams. How long might it take for you to find out you’ve been breached?

Are you prepared for an attack on your business?
Would you even know if it happened?

If you would like to learn about steps you can take to protect your business, sign up for our Security Tip Series and Cyber Security Alerts which will notify you if a new and highly dangerous threat is released, so you and your employees can be on high alert.

Who Is HBBTech?

HBBTech is a Christian family business based in the Midwest, with midwestern values, so we believe in entrepreneurship and working together with you for the benefit of both of our businesses.

We are a computer tech support company that offers a unique cybersecurity solution specifically designed to meet the special needs and budgets of small office and home office professionals. Of course, we also offer computer and network support services and VoIP telephone services.

Call us today at (636) 542-8653 to learn why our security solution is far and away superior to anything you can buy at the store or online.

STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE * STAY FOCUSED * HAVE FUN * NEVER, EVER QUIT