The top 10 cybersecurity tips for small businesses in 2025 are:
- Understand business goals and translate cyber risks.
- Get buy-in from stakeholders.
- Keep assets up-to-date and patched.
- Use anti-virus and anti-malware software.
- Have a data backup strategy.
- Use a password manager.
- Enforce multi-factor authentication.
- Conduct a security risk assessment.
- Set up guest WiFi networks.
- Create overarching security policies.
The cybersecurity market has historically underserved small businesses, with solutions often being too complex, time-consuming to implement, and prohibitively expensive.
This lack of resources and expertise can lead to critical security risks being overlooked, leaving small businesses vulnerable to cyber threats.
In this article, we’ll explore 10 essential cybersecurity tips for small businesses, drawing insights from two experienced cybersecurity professionals, Heather Noggle and Bruno Aburto.
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Top Cybersecurity Threats Facing Small Businesses
Ransomware and phishing grab headlines, but the real dangers for small businesses often stem from poor infrastructure visibility, no strategic guidance, unpatched vulnerabilities, and weak incident response planning.
Poor Infrastructure Visibility
Attackers are moving beyond traditional endpoints like laptops and desktops, which are now harder to compromise thanks to improved security tools.
Instead, cloud environments like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and AWS are becoming prime targets for attackers, with a 95% increase in cloud breaches in 2022 compared to 2021.
Meanwhile, a recent study shows that one in three breaches involves an IoT device, such as printers or smart cameras.
These overlooked entry points are a goldmine for threat actors.
In November 2024, a malicious actor named “Matrix” exploited unpatched IoT devices to create a global botnet, using the Mirai malware to launch DDoS attacks. By scanning cloud service providers for vulnerable devices, particularly in China and Japan, Matrix turned these systems into a DDoS-for-hire service, disrupting online operations worldwide.
It’s important to inventory all devices and systems within your network, encompassing cloud services and IoT devices, to understand where to start securing them.
Lack Of Strategic Guidance
The rise of “DIY” security tools has made it tempting for SMBs to cobble together low-cost solutions on their own. But without expert guidance, these efforts often fall short.
Firstly, valuable time is diverted from essential business functions such as growth, operations, and R&D. Secondly, DIY security poses risks due to a lack of expertise and insight into what to watch for or take into account. This expertise can only be gained by individuals with prior experience in CISO positions.
That’s why it’s unsurprising to learn that only 14% of small businesses have a cybersecurity plan. Patching together lightweight software or relying on your IT provider’s basic security suite leaves gaps that attackers exploit.
Beginning your security journey?
Start with the CIS-18 framework, which is tactical, attack-centric, and requires no new technology, just time to implement.
Pairing this with straightforward questions about network devices and penetration tests, and potentially a virtual CISO, provides a practical, digestible approach to reducing risks efficiently.
PurpleSec’s crosswalk mapping (e.g. NIST CSF, CIS-18, PCI) simplifies compliance overlap— check one box, hit three goals.
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Inconsistent Patching
Unpatched systems present a prime target for hackers.
That’s because 60% of breaches involve vulnerabilities with available patches that weren’t applied. With AI accelerating attacks, the time to compromise a system has now dropped to under 6 minutes.
This means traditional monthly patching schedules can’t keep up. Worse, prioritizing patches solely by CVSS scores ignores real-world attack risks, exposing critical systems.
A continuous vulnerability management program is the solution. This means daily scanning and patching, with remediation prioritized by severity and exploitability.
For SMBs, Defiance XDR™ automates patch management, reducing the mean time to remediate from 60–150 days to hours. Our security experts analyze threats to ensure patches address the most pressing risks first, keeping your business secure without disrupting operations.
Weak Incident Response Planning
When a cyberattack hits, your incident response plan—the structured process for detecting, containing, and recovering from a security breach—can make or break your small business.
Without a robust plan, even a minor security incident can spiral into a major crisis, leaving you grappling with prolonged downtime, skyrocketing costs, and a tarnished reputation.
Data paints a stark picture:
On average, it takes organizations 204 days to identify a breach and an additional 73 days to contain that breach. Further, 47% of SMBs do not have an incident response plan.
This gap in preparation is a critical vulnerability that attackers exploit.
The good news?
You don’t need a big budget or a dedicated IT team to build a solid defense. Here are a few actionable steps tailored for SMBs:
- Define Roles Upfront: Identify who’s responsible for each phase—detection, containment, eradication, and recovery. Assign a point person for each, even if it’s just your office manager or a trusted employee.
- Spot Threats Early: Use free cybersecurity tools like network monitoring software to catch anomalies before they escalate.
- Map Out Communication: Create a one-page guide for whom to call—staff, customers, law enforcement—and what to say.
- Practice Makes Progress: Test your plan yearly with a simple tabletop exercise. It’s low-cost and reveals weaknesses fast.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware remains a top threat, with SMBs increasingly in the crosshairs.
52% of global organizations reported ransomware hitting their supply chains in 2023, putting partners and vendors at risk.
Why?
- First, it’s easier to target smaller organizations with fewer resources to dedicate to security. Attackers will compromise a partner or vendor to gain access to their primary target.
- Second, attackers can buy malicious code cheaply through Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). New affiliate models have emerged as a new way to expand their business model.
- Third, AI-driven code development has made malware more sophisticated and faster to produce.
- Fourth, ransomware gangs are forming strategic alliances, pooling resources to launch coordinated attacks.
The result? Average ransom demands hit $1.54M in 2023.
Defiance XDR™ proactively detects and responds to ransomware in real time, stopping attacks before they encrypt your data. Pair this with regular backups to reduce your downtime and improve the recovery time of your data.
Learn More: How Does Ransomware Spread?
Phishing And Vishing
Business email compromise (BEC) and credential theft via phishing and vishing are skyrocketing, with 74% of data breaches involving human the element.
Attackers no longer rely on generic phishing emails. They craft advanced, tailored campaigns using publicly available data from LinkedIn profiles, corporate websites, or your “About Us” pages.
They’ll scan your network for vulnerabilities, then target specific business units.
For example, your finance team might receive a fake invoice from a “known vendor,” or an employee might get a vishing call from “IT” requesting a password reset.
Annual phishing tests and self-training aren’t enough to stop these sophisticated attacks.
PurpleSec’s social engineering services take a different approach. We design custom phishing and vishing campaigns tailored to your business units and goals, then provide actionable remediation plans to strengthen your defenses.
Cybersecurity Tips For Small Businesses
We interviewed Bruno Aburto and Heather Noggle, two long-time small business security advocates, on their top tips for helping organizations navigate the complexities of cybersecurity.
1. Understand Business Goals and Translate Cyber Risks
Every small business has unique goals—landing new clients, scaling operations, or meeting compliance. Cyber threats like ransomware or phishing can derail these plans, with data breaches causing financial losses, downtime, or reputational harm.
Understanding how cyberattacks impact your goals is the first step to staying secure.
Bruno Aburto, a cybersecurity expert, explains:
Most SMBs are probably not focused on security. They’re more focused on profit and just developing their business. And now we, as cybersecurity professionals, need to translate the risk of cybersecurity and get small business owners to understand that there’s a financial impact that could happen if they do have to, or if they realize a risk and suffer a data breach or a cyber attack.
Why It Matters
A ransomware attack could encrypt customer data, halting sales, while a phishing scam might expose sensitive information, eroding trust.
Actions To Take
- List your core business assets—customer records, financial systems, or operational tech.
- Estimate the cost of losing access for a day or week. For example, calculate lost revenue if a data breach disrupts your e-commerce platform.
- Use this to prioritize cybersecurity measures that protect what matters most.
- Free tools like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s risk assessment can guide you.
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2. Get Buy-In From Stakeholders
Cybersecurity affects everyone in your small business, from employees to executives. New measures, like multi-factor authentication or antivirus software, require support from key stakeholders to succeed.
Without buy-in, resistance can leave your business vulnerable to cybercriminals.
Heather says:
So those conversations and getting key people who are stakeholders in the organization to be in agreement that yes, there’s change coming and it’s going to be painful before it’s not. And if those things are aligned, I think there’s a better chance for success for everything that comes after.
Why It Matters
A phishing attack exploiting a single employee can lead to unauthorized access, costing thousands in recovery. Stakeholder support ensures everyone follows new protocols, reducing risks.
Actions To Take
- Meet with department leads and explain how cyber threats impact their work. For example, show your sales team how a data breach could leak client data, or tell finance how ransomware disrupts payments.
- Share industry-specific statistics and data from reliable sources to build urgency.
- Create a one-page plan outlining proposed changes (e.g., patching, training) and their benefits, then gather feedback to refine it.
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3. Keep Assets Up-To-Date And Patched
Patch management is a critical cybersecurity practice that ensures systems and applications are updated with the latest fixes, reducing the risk of security breaches, data loss, and system downtime.
Bruno emphasizes:
It’s extremely important because as you said, those are an attack vector that attackers can use to gain access to your network and to your systems. So having a frequent weekly or biweekly patching cycle is super important for small businesses.
Why It Matters
A single unpatched application can let malware spread, leading to a data breach. For example, the 2023 MOVEit vulnerability cost organizations $10B by exploiting unpatched systems.
Actions To Take
- Set a weekly patching schedule for operating systems, apps, and firmware.
- Use free tools like Microsoft Update or WSUS to automate updates for Windows devices.
- For cloud-based software, enable auto-updates in platforms like Google Workspace.
- Prioritize patches for critical systems (e.g., payment processors) and check vendor websites for vulnerability alerts.
- Test patches on a single device first to avoid disruptions.
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4. Use Anti-Virus And Anti-Malware Software
Malware and ransomware are relentless threats. Antivirus software and anti-malware tools are your first line of defense, stopping cybercriminals from compromising your systems.
Heather stresses:
Absolutely important. If you are an organization, if we’re working with an organization that doesn’t have that in place, there’s probably going back to the beginning of the conversations of here’s why that has to be one of the very first things we do once we notice it’s not there on every machine.
Why It Matters
Without protection, a phishing scam can install malware, leading to data breaches or ransomware that locks your files. SMBs lose $120,000–$1.24M on average to such attacks.
Actions To Take
- Install antivirus software like Microsoft Defender (free with Windows) or affordable options like Bitdefender on all devices, including employee laptops.
- Schedule daily scans and enable real-time protection.
- Train employees to avoid suspicious links, as phishing is the top delivery method for malware.
- Check for updates weekly to ensure your tools catch the latest threats.
5. Have A Data Backup Strategy
Data is everything for your small business—customer records, invoices, or proprietary designs. A ransomware attack or hardware failure can wipe it out.
In 2023, nearly 73% of companies worldwide paid ransom to recover data, up from 49% in 2018. Even when paid, 27% of ransomware victims lost their data for good.
A reliable backup strategy ensures you can recover your mission critical systems and data without paying a ransom demand.
Bruno Aburto explains:
Backing up your data means that you’re not subject to paying that ransom. And you can go back to a restore point of your information systems and recover and get past that attack.
Why It Matters
Ransomware can encrypt critical files, halting operations. Regular backups let you restore data without paying hackers, saving time and money.
Actions To Take
- Back up data daily to cloud (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) and physical (e.g., external hard drives) storage.
- Use the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two local, one offsite.
- Test restores monthly to confirm backups are malware-free.
- Encrypt backups with tools like VeraCrypt to prevent unauthorized access.
- Store off-site copies in a secure location, like a locked safe.
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6. Use A Password Manager
Weak or reused passwords are a major risk, with 61% of breaches tied to stolen credentials.
Cybercriminals exploit simple passwords via phishing scams or brute-force attacks. A password manager creates and stores strong passwords, locking down your accounts.
Heather advocates:
Every site we use, every application should have a unique password. So that’s the first thing I want to bring home. And a long, strong password is a good thing too. It used to be eight characters was fine. You’re going to want these to be 12 to 15 or more. I like them longer. A password manager makes that doable.
Why It Matters
A single compromised password can lead to unauthorized access, exposing sensitive information. Strong passwords (15+ characters) are harder to crack.
Actions To Take
- Use a password manager like LastPass or Bitwarden to generate unique, complex passwords for every account.
- Set a master password with 15+ characters and store it securely.
- Share access with employees via the manager’s secure sharing feature, avoiding email or sticky notes.
- Review password strength monthly and update weak ones.
- Train staff to recognize phishing attempts that steal credentials.
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7. Enforce Multi-factor Authentication
Multi factor authentication (MFA) adds a second verification step (e.g., a code or biometric) beyond a password, stopping hackers even if credentials are stolen.
Bruno emphasizes:
Adding MFA is adding a layer of defense to your systems and to your network. So like Heather mentioned, having password managers are very important. Well, beyond that, having multifactor authentication will make it more difficult for attackers to gain access to the system.
Why It Matters
Phishing scams often target passwords, but MFA blocks unauthorized access. For example, a stolen email password won’t grant entry without the second factor.
Actions To Take
- Enable MFA on critical accounts—email, banking, and cloud platforms like Microsoft 365.
- Use app-based MFA (e.g., Google Authenticator) or biometrics instead of text messages, which cybercriminals can intercept.
- Provide employees with a one-page guide on setting up MFA.
Check monthly to ensure all accounts are protected. - Free MFA options are available with most major platforms.
8. Conduct A Security Risk Assessment
A comprehensive security risk assessment is essential for identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities within your organization. Heather recommends using frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and the CIS Top 18 Critical Security Controls to guide the assessment process.
She explains:
Security assessments will help us look comprehensively at the whole organization using a framework so that we’re not reinventing the wheel of how we would like to do things.
Why It Matters
Without an assessment, you might miss a vulnerability that leads to a data breach. For example, an unpatched server could allow malware to spread, costing thousands.
Actions To Take
- Use free frameworks like NIST Cybersecurity Framework or CIS Top 18 to guide your assessment.
- List all devices, apps, and networks, then check for outdated software or weak passwords.
- Test for phishing susceptibility by sending dummy emails to employees.
- Document findings in a spreadsheet and prioritize fixes (e.g., patch critical systems first).
- Repeat annually or after major changes, like adding new tech.
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9. Set Up Guest WiFi Networks
If your small business has visitors or a physical location, public WiFi can expose your internal systems to cyberattacks. Hackers can use shared networks to steal sensitive information or deploy malware, risking a data breach.
Bruno advises:
I would recommend hiding your internal network from the public and implementing a guest network for people coming into your business. It separates the two networks and creates a layer of security.
Why It Matters
A malicious guest device could access your main network, compromising customer data or financial systems.
Actions To Take
- Set up a secure guest WiFi network on your router with a unique name and strong password.
- Isolate it from your internal network using VLAN settings or a separate router.
- Enable a firewall to block unauthorized connections.
- Post the guest password in a secure location, like behind the front desk, and change it monthly.
- Use free tools like pfSense to monitor network traffic for suspicious activity.
10. Create Overarching Security Policies
Clear security policies ensure everyone in your small business follows best practices, from handling passwords to responding to phishing scams.
They’re the foundation of a robust cybersecurity program, especially for compliance with standards like SOC 2 or PCI DSS.
Heather emphasizes:
Policies are very important and they should be in very clean, plain, non-legal language.
Bruno adds:
For policies, I would stay overarching and say we are going to implement this, not how we’re going to do it.
Why It Matters
Without policies, employees might skip multi factor authentication or fall for phishing, increasing breach risks. Policies clarify expectations and reduce errors.
Actions To Take
- Write concise policies covering password management, antivirus software, backups, and phishing response. For example, state that all accounts require MFA and backups must be tested monthly.
- Use plain language (e.g., “Use unique passwords for every account”).
- Share policies via email or a shared drive, and review them with employees annually.
- Free templates from PurpleSec can help you start.
- Update policies as new threats emerge, like advanced ransomware.
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Wrapping Up
Cybersecurity is a concern for small businesses, as they often lack the resources and expertise to implement robust security measures.
By following these 10 tips, small businesses can significantly improve their security posture and reduce the risk of cyber attacks and data breaches.
Remember, cybersecurity is an ongoing process, and it’s crucial to regularly assess and adapt your security measures to address evolving threats and changing business needs.
By prioritizing cybersecurity and implementing these best practices, small businesses can protect their assets, maintain customer trust, and ensure business continuity in the face of cyber threats.
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