SMBs Need an Air Bubble in the Sea of Cyber Threats
According to a survey from last year, there are over 280 million SMBs worldwide, generating half of all employment in developing countries and slightly more than half of employment in developed countries. This translates into 70% of Global GDP. The tremendous contribution of these businesses to the global economy is undeniable.
However, due to their limited size and scarce resources, they often struggle to keep up with all the internet threats that are out there… and it’s not getting better, quite the opposite. The influx of AI (when used with bad intentions), mass-scale attacks, availability and ease of malware code execution, constant growth in devices, specially IoT, without adequate asset management and the complexity associated to cybersecurity in general and how challenging it is to find affordable professional and solutions that can be consumed by everyone, all contribute to the turbulent mix that is constantly keeping these hard working people on the brink of having to face downtime, confidential data exposure, loss of productivity and unfortunately, in many cases, having to shut down the business when the situation gets out of hand.
AI and other scary problems for SMBs
As anticipated, generative AI is a powerful tool that can be used with good, but also with bad intentions. While it was recently considered ‘achievable’ for someone with a limited amount of dedication to get and weaponize malicious code, generative AI is lowering the entry bar since pretty much anyone with no developing expertise can ‘trick’ a generative tool to spit out code with bad intentions, assist with the spin up of ephemeral C&C servers and phishing sites or even with the creation of deepfakes that can trick the most experienced viewer through a social engineering campaign. We must remember that for the mass market we see mass scale attacks, meaning that it is just a numbers game. Bad actors target anything that they can and then they keep what is valuable, e.g., what can be sold on the dark web.
It is also challenging for an SMB to understand what needs to be protected since devices come and go constantly. There is always a new, shiny IoT device that is quite affordable but has questionable security, and to add to that, we have the vulnerabilities of more traditional devices like laptops and network equipment. Why not hire an expert to take care of it all? Very expensive idea. Especially for businesses that are desperately trying to take off and concentrating on how to improve their sales.
Endpoint Protection Solutions: Are they really viable solutions?
Taking all this into consideration, many opt for what has been historically the immediate answer to device security: an endpoint solution. While this is, of course, an appropriate approach to add some security to your business, it comes with deployment, configuration and maintenance requirements that many businesses tend to neglect over time, easily leading to misconfiguration and outdated intel, providing a false sense of security. Additionally, you cannot install such a solution on that shiny IoT camera you installed in the meeting room. This exposes it to unauthorized access and to being used as a pivot to move laterally across the SMB network, infecting more devices.
To top it all, due to the requirement of having to install the software on the device and how closely it interacts with the system, it can lead to a catastrophic impact if things go wrong, like the recent CrowdStrike incident. We must say that the event was diligently addressed by the cybersecurity provider, and IT teams knew what steps were required to recover after a resolution was identified. But it can easily leave a non-experienced small business owner totally clueless and with serious impact on productivity until they figure out what needs to be done. Network firewalls are another typical approach, but unfortunately leading to some of the same consequences due to the cost and expertise required to deploy, configure and maintain them.
Providing an air bubble
How can we provide an air bubble in the sea of cyber threats for these small businesses that value cost, simplicity and effectiveness above everything else, for obvious reasons? The answer starts with the internet provider that supplies the door to the necessary yet hazardous Internet world. To address cost we need the solution to be mass market-ready with a strong focus on low TCO for the operator, enabling them to offer it at a price anyone can afford, together with a self-management interface that anyone can use and enjoy to make support efforts negligible. Maximum simplicity can only be enabled by network-native, zero-touch activation that does not require the subscriber to install anything and that protects the whole office and every device associated to it at the click of a button.
Last, but definitely not least, effectiveness is important to the SMB, because the threats nowadays are more complex than they used to be. We need to offer multi-layered protection that looks at every piece of information available, such as domain, URL, IP, payload, port, communication direction and others as well as behavior, that can lead us to automated threat protection. To learn more about how Allot meets these recommendations, you can read more here.
FAQ
SMBs often have limited size and scarce resources, making it difficult for them to keep up with the growing complexity of cybersecurity challenges. The influx of AI-driven attacks, the availability of malware, and the constant addition of new, often insecure IoT devices add to their vulnerability, potentially leading to significant consequences such as data breaches, loss of productivity, or even the shutdown of the business.
Generative AI lowers the entry barrier for creating malicious code. Individuals with no prior development expertise can now use generative AI tools to produce harmful code, set up phishing sites, or create deepfakes, which can be used in sophisticated social engineering campaigns. This amplifies the risks for SMBs, as these mass-scale attacks target a wide range of potential victims, with attackers focusing on what can be sold on the dark web.
SMBs face several challenges in securing their devices and networks, including the constant addition of devices, particularly IoT devices that often lack adequate security. The cost and expertise required to deploy and maintain traditional cybersecurity solutions like endpoint protection and network firewalls also pose significant hurdles. Furthermore, these solutions can lead to complications if not properly managed, as seen in incidents like the recent CrowdStrike case, where misconfigurations or software issues can severely impact productivity.
The proposed cybersecurity solution for SMBs is a network-native, zero-touch activation system provided by internet service providers. This solution is designed to be cost-effective, simple, and effective, with a low total cost of ownership (TCO) for operators, enabling them to offer it at an affordable price. It does not require any installation by the subscriber and protects the entire office and all associated devices with the click of a button. The solution offers multi-layered protection by analyzing various data points, such as domain, URL, IP, and behavior, leading to automated threat identification.
