Although many business owners don’t realize it, small businesses are just as vulnerable to cyber security as large companies. It may seem shocking, but of all cyber-attacks target small businesses. When you think about it, coupled with the fact that more than two out of five small businesses lack any kind of cyber defense plan, the outlook for small business owners in the ongoing battle against cybercriminals is bleak. Security threats to SMBs Phishing attacks Phishing attacks have become much more sophisticated in recent years, and attackers are becoming more convincing in pretending to be legitimate business contacts. There has also been an increase in business email compromise, which involves malicious individuals using phishing campaigns to steal passwords to corporate email accounts from high-level executives and then use those accounts to fraudulently demand payments from employees. They use social engineering to target people within the business, rather than technology weaknesses. there are technological defenses against phishing attacks.Malware attacks Malware is the second major threat to small businesses. It includes a number of cyber threats such as Trojan horses and viruses. Malware is a diverse term for malicious code that hackers create to gain access to networks, steal data, or destroy data on computers. These attacks are particularly damaging to small businesses because they can cripple equipment, requiring costly repairs or replacements. They can also provide attackers with a backdoor to access data, which can put customers and employees at risk.