The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has concentrated on small businesses this year with the launch of www.FTC.gov/SmallBusiness , which provides data security awareness information to small businesses. The  site includes articles about data security, how to develop a data security plan, what happens when ransomware affects your business, what to do in response to a data breach, and information relating to the most recent threats affecting businesses across the nation.  It also frequently publishes scam alerts, which are helpful to small businesses.

All of the FTC resources are relevant and helpful to small businesses, which will help them to start thinking about data security and addressing the risks posed to business.

Not only is the FTC site helpful, but other resources and websites that provide important information to small businesses to assist with staying abreast of cyber threats and intrusions  include:

• US-CERT, which provides industry warnings and information on security incidents, intrusions and threats that are being experienced by businesses
• IRS website
• National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
• FBI 
• InfraGuard
• Specific industry blogs, newsletters or alerts
• Krebs On Security
• dataprivacyandsecurityinsider.com

As we approach the second half of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, ask someone in your organization to research several resources that may be helpful to your business, have them sign up for relevant alerts, blogs and newsletters, and be a point person for staying informed of cyber threats that may affect your business. They in turn, can keep executives informed of those threats.  We have found that each day time must be devoted to keeping up with cyber threats . Having someone devoted to the task is key to staying on top of them.

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