There are a lot of comforting lies out there when it comes to IT security. “We’re too small to be a target.” “Our stuff’s not that valuable.” “I’ve never had a problem before.” These myths are some common sources of Drama IT.
Take one typical story as an example. For a long time, the company believed they were in good hands. They had an IT Managed Service Provider. They paid the bills. They thought, “we’re covered.” But when an employee clicked on a sketchy-looking email and the entire system got locked down by ransomware, the response from their MSP was… silence. Just vanished. Ghosted them like a bad date.
Turns out, there were no backups. The MSP had been skating by, offering surface-level support without the real protection our client thought they were paying for. One lesson here is that you should know exactly what you are paying your IT MSP for, and whether they are delivering on their promises. Are you paying premium bucks for cut-rate service?
But the biggest lesson from examples like this: you may not be assessing your cyber risk accurately. In fact, if you are relying on the fact that you’re not a “big fish,” your risk assessment is in dangerous territory.
Consider another common story (yes, a local story in Aiken and the broader CSRA, not just in some far off universe): wire transfer theft. Because many businesses and consumers think they aren’t targets, these wire transfers done via email are ripe for cyberattacks. Cybercrooks sit on emails, watching and waiting, and they jump in to redirect funds as these transactions are completed.
Drama IT thrives in that gap between what we think is true and what actually is true. As we have said a number of times on this blog, businesses THINK they are not targets because they aren’t a government entity, or some big fish like Target or Sony. But that thinking causes massive security gaps that are exploited by cybercriminals.
Cybercriminals don’t care about your size or your industry. They care about your vulnerability. The truth? The number one factor in a cyberattack is not the size of your business. It’s whether your digital doors are locked. Period.
If you’re running on outdated software, free antivirus, or thinking a Gmail address is just fine for business, Drama IT is already circling. If you have an IT guy who is only focused on Help Desk tickets and not cybersecurity, you are in danger of Drama IT.
Break up with the myths. Ask real questions. And let’s shore up your defenses.