April Fools’ Day comes every year and oftentimes we completely forget about the mischief and hijinks that comes with the holiday. Despite our best efforts, many of us still end up being the butt of a prank each year. With over 5.3 billion users online in 2023, the internet has become a vast playground for pranksters, making it increasingly difficult to detect a mischievous scheme until you’ve already been duped. In the modern-day digital era of cyber-attacks, the art of fooling others has vastly evolved.

Now, let’s talk about phishing. No, not the kind where you relax by the water with a rod and reel. We’re talking about email phishing – those sneaky attempts to trick you into divulging sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. And guess what? Small and mid-sized businesses are prime targets for these cyber-attacks.

Picture this: your average employee, minding their own business, receives an email offering a too-good-to-be-true deal from a familiar brand. They click on the link, excited for a freebie, only to find themselves falling into a digital trap. Or perhaps it’s an urgent email from what appears to be their bank, requesting immediate login to update financial information. Click, and suddenly your business is swimming in hot water.

And then there’s spear phishing – a more targeted approach where hackers go after specific individuals or groups within a business. They masquerade as trusted sources, using scare tactics and urgency to get you to take the bait. One wrong click, and your entire network could be compromised.

So, what’s the cost of falling for these phishing attacks?
It’s not just a minor inconvenience – it could spell disaster for your business. Hacking isn’t just a hobby anymore; it’s big business. And the consequences can be dire, with 60% of small businesses shutting down within six months of a cyber-attack. Downtime from a phishing attack can hit your bottom line hard. According to figures from Datto, as of 2023, just one hour of IT downtime can cost $10,000 for small businesses.

But fear not! There’s a solution: education.
By prioritizing cybersecurity training for your employees, you can arm them with the knowledge they need to spot phishing attempts before they take the bait. And don’t forget about dark web monitoring – it’s like having a digital security guard keeping an eye out for any leaked information that could put your business at risk.

So, business owners, don’t be April Fools. Take the necessary steps to protect your business from phishing attacks. Talk to your IT professional about implementing phishing awareness training and dark web monitoring today. Your business’s security depends on it! If you are curious to find out if you have been compromised or are interested in phishing awareness training, sign up for a complimentary Dark Web Scan for your company domain exclusively for fellow Chamber Members. Just click here to get in touch with Tech 2020 Solutions to set this up.

Finally, if you know that your credentials have been compromised, download our Remediation Tip Checklist to help you minimize the risk of this happening again.

Stay sharp, stay safe! #PhishingAwareness #DarkWebMonitoring #CybersecurityTraining