Cybercriminals Are Targeting Small Businesses – Is Yours Next

Your Business Is Being Targeted—Even If You Don’t Realize It

It’s not just big corporations making headlines anymore. Small and midsize businesses are now prime targets for cybercriminals—and the numbers don’t lie.

Ransomware remains the most disruptive threat in today’s digital world. The newly released Cyber Threat Index 2025 from Coalition reveals how these attacks are happening. It shows why it’s time to take this risk seriously.

Startling Realities from the Report:

• 58% of ransomware attacks in 2024 began with a breach of VPNs or firewalls
• 18% involved remote desktop tools
• 47% began with stolen or guessed login credentials
• Email phishing and unpatched software rounded out the top attack methods

What This Means for Your Business

Think about the systems your team uses every day—remote logins, email, cloud apps. Now imagine they’re all frozen… encrypted by criminals demanding a six-figure ransom just to give you back control.

It’s not science fiction. It’s happening to businesses just like yours—some of them never recover.

The worst part? Most attacks succeed not because the defenses are complex, but because they’re familiar. Cybercriminals keep reusing the same tactics because they still work.

And while enterprise-level companies have IT teams monitoring for threats around the clock, many small and midsize businesses don’t. That’s where cyber insurance becomes more than a policy—it becomes a lifeline.

How Cyber Insurance Protects You:

A robust cyber insurance policy can help cover:

• Ransom payments (where legal)
• Digital forensics and IT recovery
• Business interruption and income loss
• Data restoration and rebuilding
• Regulatory fines and legal defense
• Customer notifications and credit monitoring

4 Things You Can Do Right Now:

1. Harden remote access tools – Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) across VPNs and remote desktops
2. Educate your team – A well-timed click on a phishing email can cost your business everything
3. Patch and update software – Vulnerabilities in outdated tools are low-hanging fruit for attackers
4. Review your cyber insurance – Your policy should reflect your current systems and risks

Final Thought:

Cybercriminals aren’t getting more creative—they’re just getting more persistent. And far too many businesses are still unprepared.

The good news? Cyber insurance remains one of the most affordable forms of protection available. This is especially true when compared to skyrocketing premiums you see in property or commercial auto.

If you’re not sure whether your coverage is enough, let’s have a conversation. Or if you don’t have cyber protection in place at all, let’s talk.

It could be the most important step you take for your business this year.

-JK