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Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.迷你倉Aug. 01--ONTARIO -- No company is too small for cyber criminals to target.The cyber threatscape targets are growing and becoming more sophisticated, said Anne Stobaugh, with Symantec, a global computer security software corporation.In 2012, cyber crime attacks grew 42 percent from 2011. Of those, a third were targeted at small businesses, Stobaugh warned the more than 40 attendees gathered at the Ontario police station on Wednesday.Business and security panelists at the Cybercrime Small Business Forum urged attendees to always pay attention, monitor systems, and use multiple layers of cyber protection.Chuck Ashman, CEO of Business Matchmaking, said the company began organizing these forums in collaboration with the Small Business Adminstration as a need to highlight a growing issue in the nation. Business Matchmaking helps secure funding and development opportunities for small businesses.Much has been made about the cyber attacks on the federal government involving former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and soldier Bradley Manning, who gave classified information to Wikileaks, as well as on Fortune 500 companies, he said.Small businesses are being targeted because they often do not have the proper defenses in place to protect them from a virus, malware -- amalicious software -- or fraud. As opposed to major corporations, where cyber criminals would have to spend $1 million trying to hack into their systems, Ashman said."They aren't always going for the money, sometimes they are trying to steal propriety information that they can take and then end up selling it," he said.Web attacks alone were up 30 percent in 2012. In 2011 there were 190,000 daily attacks with 250,000 daily attacks recorded in 2012, she said.The costs of these kinds of attacks are catastrophic, especially for small businesses which experience a 37 percent decrease in revenues.Brian Burch, vice president with Symantec, said there has been a shift involving cyber criminals. They no longer just send out viruses.For example, Ransomware, a growing trend in cyber crime occurs when criminals hijack a computer and pretend to be the FBI. Typically an email is sent to the victim letting them know their computer contained illegal items and is locked until a fine is paid. Also known as a form of digital kidnapping, Ransonware asks for $500. Even when the individual does pay it, the computer system is not released.Suggested remedies:Password security: Business owners should move beyond the typical one-word password and instead use a pass phrase which is more difficult for someone to hack.Cloud services: There is also the cloud-based 文件倉ecurity which Burch described as having "industrial grade security" and is safer than traditional protection systems because it automatically updates and backs up data.Multiple layers of protection: There are also anti-virus systems that small businesses can purchase "" such as Norton and McAfee "" that provides several layers of protection, said Burch, whose company provides such systems.Awareness: Educate staff about not clicking links from unfamiliar sources, or download software which could contain a virus.The problem is cyber attackers know small business owners are vulnerable, said Rachel Baranick, acting district director for the SBA in Santa Ana.About 83 percent of small businesses do not have a cyber plan, she said.Small business owners may also choose to go to SCORE, a national nonprofit association, which have various locations in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties. The association is supported by the Small Business Administration and will provide free services to help them with cybersecurity.Carmen Araiza, fraud prevention supervisor with Union Bank, advised owners that they have a separate computer, not connected to any social media accounts, where they can conduct financial transactions of the company.Panelists also suggested that owners check their balance and transactions every week, but not from their phones, the system is not as secure.Owners can take it one step further and sign up for a free D&B credit signal report. Anytime activity is detected, the owner is notified and be proactive about identifying any cyber fraud before it is too late, said Chad Buechler, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.Wednesday's panel coincided with the annual hacker conference held in Las Vegas known as Black Hat. The event drew which drew about 7,000 cybersecurity experts and hackers from the private and public sectors.This year's keynote speaker was National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander who defended the U.S. spy agency's surveillance programs during his remarks.The NSA is the U.S. spy agency that monitors foreign electronic communications."We get all these allegations of what they could be doing, but when people check, like the intelligence committee, they found no times" that NSA internet surveillance had been willfully abused, he said.Small business owners can visit BusinessMatchmaking.com for more information on cyber crime and links to guides and services.To find SCORE or another SBA partner, visit SBA.gov and type in the ZIP codeCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) Visit the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) at .dailybulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉