Malicious Internet users stepped up data attacks on small businesses last year, states a report from the security company.
Do not think your small business won't fall victim to some sort of Internet scam or malware attack.
Evidence is growing that small businesses are increasingly tempting targets of malicious Internet users.
Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report 2013 highlights the issues facing the small business sector, noting that small business attacks are a growth sector.
The report states that "the largest growth area for targeted attacks in 2012 was businesses with fewer than 250 employees; 31 percent of all attacks targeted them."
That's a threefold growth from the year before, indicating that small businesses may offer small rewards, but if they're easy pickings, then malicious types target them.
Symantec's research tallies with what we've heard before: the retail sector is particularly at risk according to some experts. Others say the viewpoint that businesses may be "too small" to target is a particularly naive one.
Bottom line: if you have a small business, get professional data security advice.
