Cybersecurity resources for your small business

Small businesses are concerned about ransomware, email imposters, and other common cyber threats. So FTC staff hosted roundtables to ask business owners what we can do to help. You came from different parts of the country and different economic sectors, but your answers were consistent and you didn’t mince words: 1) You want straightforward advice that’s easy to implement; and 2) You want consistent guidance from the different federal agencies that deal with cyber threats and data security. Today the FTC – along with Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Small Business Administration – is responding with a new campaign to help you protect your company from common cyber threats.

Based on what we heard from small businesses, we’ve boiled it down to a dozen need-to-know topics: Cybersecurity Basics, Understanding the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, Physical Security, Ransomware, Phishing, Business Email Imposters, Tech Support Scams, Vendor Security, Cyber Insurance (thanks to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), Email Authentication, Hiring a Web Host, and Secure Remote Access.

You have a business to run, so we’ve designed the campaign to be respectful of your time and resources. The centerpiece of each topic is a fact sheet that addresses the issue to your specifications: to the point and with harmonized advice from the FTC, DHS, NIST, and SBA. You also asked for resources to help educate your staff. So we’ve included videos and quizzes you can use in in-house training.

These new resources are just the start. Here’s what else we have planned:

• Today, October 18th, at 2:00 ET:  I’ll discuss the campaign at an event sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). It will be livestreamed at Facebook.com/FederalTradeCommission.
• Today, October 18th, at 3:00 ET:  FTC staff will talk about how to incorporate these new resources at your business on a webinar hosted by the NCSA. The webinar is free and open to everyone. Register here.
• BCP Business Blog.  Continue following the BCP Business Blog. For the next dozen weeks, we’ll feature a post spotlighting the campaign’s dozen cybersecurity topics. Of course, effective cybersecurity requires a collaborative effort. Comment on the blogs to let us know if the advice is striking the right chord with your company. Tell your story about incorporating cybersecurity in your workplace. And share tips on how you educate your employees.

We have more events in the works. Details to follow in the Business Blog.