The wild west days of small business cybersecurity are over. For businesses and their owners in Burleson and Fort Worth, there’s no longer a chance your firm will fly under the radar. You only have to wait until an automated script finds you wide open, or a well-designed artificial intelligence phishing attack targets you or your employees.
While attacks in early 2026 are showing that humans will always be the weakest link (the cause of over 74% of breaches), technology can’t fix human error. Whether you run a local retail store or own a small contracting business, one breach could cost your business an average of $4.88 million in incident costs, not to mention irreparable reputation damage with your customers. Read on to learn more about the current threat landscape and how you can protect your business with training and technical tools.
Cybersecurity Matters to Your Business — Here’s Why
Cyber attacks can grind small businesses to a halt — imagine if you couldn’t access any of your email, files, or programs for days… or weeks. Revenue stops while your IT team or consultants investigate.
Cybersecurity also matters because of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA). Much like California’s CCPA and the EU’s GDPR, Texas now has legislation placing specific obligations on businesses that collect and process personal data, and consumers’ rights to that data. If your customer data is breached, you could be paying for litigation costs and regulatory fines. Not to mention lost contracts if you can’t verify your security practices to government agencies or larger companies.
The Common Attacks You Should Know
Knowing your enemy helps you prepare to defend against them. Cyber criminals are now using automated tools, built with artificial intelligence to enhance their attacks. Let’s run through some of the worst.
Phishing
Remains the most common attack vector. In fact, 42% of breaches globally utilized some form of a phishing attack. Spoofed emails aren’t just coming from someone with bad grammar trying to steal your password anymore. They can be complex AI generated messages targeted at your employees, or even audio deepfakes that sound just like your CEO.
Watering Holes
Instead of attacking your business directly, cybercriminals infect the websites your owners or employees visit, and gain access to your network that way. Small businesses can be targeted through generic sites, but more commonly through localized websites owners visit, like franchise websites, supply chain forums, or local industry publications.
Downloads
Malicious files are often disguised as “would be helpful in your role” or “urgent invoice attachments.” These files can contain spyware that leaks your information, or ransomware that locks you out of your files until you pay the criminals off.
Malware & Ransomware
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) has given novice hackers access to professional tools to attack businesses with. “Double extortion” tactics are common among organized ransomware gangs: they not only lock your data up, but also will publish it online to punish you if you don’t pay.
Quick Phishing Tip
Use “out-of-band” verification when possible. That means going outside the limits of the contact. If you get an email from your CEO or another owner asking to wire money or change payment details, go outside the email chain to verify it, by calling the person on a valid number before you comply.
Tips to Protect Your Small Business From Cyber Attacks
The best defense is a layered approach that includes both technical controls and security-trained employees. This starts with security being treated as a company-wide priority, starting at the top. A good business consultant will advise you of this first.
Passwords | Personal Devices | Employees | Backups | Privilege Access
Keep your data safe by covering your bases:
Passwords
Simple passwords are an invitation to be hacked. Require all employees to use passphrases of 15 characters or more and use a business grade password manager to prevent reuse across websites. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) where possible. This will stop 99% of automated attacks against your login credentials.
Personal Devices
Remote work has increased and many employees are using personal devices to connect to your business network. Create a BYOD policy if you don’t already have one and enforce it with mobile device management applications that can ensure devices are patched and encrypted.
Employees
Since humans are the ultimate cause for the majority of breaches, business development training should include security awareness. Don’t just sit employees down for security training once a year: Hold training sessions to build security knowledge into the brains of your employees. A little preparation can prevent a lot of careless mistakes.
Backups
All of your sensitive business data should be backed up following the 3-2-1 backup rule: You have three copies of your data on two different mediums with one offsite copy or immutable cloud vault. Practice restoration from the backups every month.
Privilege Access
Limit user permissions to the minimum required to do their jobs. Users should only be able to read and edit files they directly need to do their role. Audit user accounts and permissions yearly or whenever anyone leaves your company.
Are You — And Your Business — Cybersecurity Ready?
- Do you use Multi-Factor Authentication on all business email accounts and banking accounts?
- When was the last time you tested your backups? Was it in the last 30 days?
- Do you have a written employee cybersecurity policy?
If you answered “No” to any of these questions your business is at risk. Talk to a business consultant immediately.
Consult a Business Expert about Cybersecurity | Employee Training
There’s a lot to think about when you’re growing your company, and doing IT cybersecurity detective work isn’t likely to be at the top of your list. That is why you should partner with a business consulting firm.
Business management training should include the company connecting with you to understand your specific concerns and translating them into the tech side of your business. Not only can they help you with cybersecurity, but they can also increase operational efficiency by identifying weaknesses throughout your processes.
A business consultant can walk you through a full risk assessment to help you understand your risk tolerance and determine what security measures will provide you the most bang for your buck. Additionally, business development training can go beyond just how to sell your product or service and into how to build your backend so you’re ready for the larger contracts that will require verified security measures.
Call On Havins Business Services | Your Burleson & Fort Worth Partner, From Launch To Legacy
At Havins Business Services we know how daunting it can be to start and run your own business. Whether you need help because your business records are a mess and you don’t know where to start, or you are a CEO that needs a number cruncher to help with financials and leave you more time to manage your growing company, we are your strategic fixer.
Havins will professionalize your business with customized business management and business development training so that you can build the internal capacity to run it yourself. Reach out today.