If you're running a small business, it's time to take a second look at how protected you are. Photo provided | Markus Spiske via Unsplash

This Community Voices column is written by Dawn Winterhalter Parks, Director of BizAccessHub at NKU’s Haile College of Business and an AI strategist.

“You don’t rise to the level of your cybersecurity hope. You fall to the level of your plan,” said Gaby Batshoun, president of Global Business Solutions in Newport.

Back in July 2025, the news was unsettling: Cybercriminals out of China exploited weaknesses in Microsoft SharePoint servers, slipping into U.S. government systems—including the nuclear weapons agency—and hundreds of businesses across the globe.

Sound like a high-level international drama? Sure. But here’s the thing most folks missed: many of the businesses hit weren’t huge corporations with massive IT teams. Some were small-town accounting offices. Family-run manufacturers. Marketing agencies. The kind of businesses that line the streets of Florence, Covington and Newport.

Cyberattacks are no longer a “big company” problem. If you’re running a small business, it’s time to take a second look at how protected you really are.

What is cybersecurity, anyway?

Let’s drop the jargon and make it plain: cybersecurity is just a fancy word for protecting your systems and your data.

Your systems are things like your email, cloud accounts, QuickBooks, point-of-sale tech, and even your Wi-Fi network. If those go down, it’s like losing power in your building—everything stops.

Your data is everything from customer info and financial records to employee files and vendor contacts. You may not think about it daily, but it’s what allows your business to run and earn trust. And once it’s stolen, locked up, or leaked? That trust is hard to win back.

“They wouldn’t target me, right?”

That’s what a lot of folks think… until it happens.

But here’s what the numbers say:

  • 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses.
  • 82% of ransomware attacks impact companies with fewer than 1,000 employees.
  • Nearly 40% of victims have fewer than 100 employees.
  • 75% of victims make under $50 million in revenue.

So no, you’re not “too small to notice.” If anything, smaller businesses are easier targets. Why?

Because attackers know we’re busy. We wear a dozen hats. And many of us haven’t gotten around to making a plan.

The real-world fallout

When a cyberattack hits a small business, here’s what often follows:

  • Immediate costs: Recovering from a ransomware attack averages $84,000. Some have paid ransoms of over $2.5 million in the last year alone.
  • Downtime: Many small businesses are offline for days—24 days on average.
  • Lost trust: If your customers’ data is breached, they might not come back.
  • Business closure: This is the hardest one. Sixty percent of small businesses close within six months of a cyberattack.

It’s not just a tech issue. It’s a survival issue.

Don’t have a big budget? That’s OK.

Here’s a starter plan that makes a big difference for under $500/month (some even free):

  1. Turn on MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) – It’s like adding a deadbolt to your accounts.
  2. Train your team – Monthly “phishing” refreshers can help folks spot sketchy emails before they click.
  3. Back up your data – Automatically and with offline copies. No excuses.
  4. Use a password manager – A business-grade tool saves time and security headaches.
  5. Upgrade your email – Use business-grade services with spam and virus protection built in.

These five steps alone close a lot of doors cybercriminals like to wiggle open.

A quick NKY sidebar

Right here in Northern Kentucky, small business owners are trying to navigate tight labor markets, rising costs, and new technologies. We’re innovative and resilient—but let’s not be vulnerable when we don’t have to be.

Takeaways for small business owners

  • Don’t assume you’re too small to be targeted.
  • Think of cybersecurity as business continuity—not just IT.
  • Small steps (like MFA and backups) make a big impact.
  • Your team can be your biggest weakness—or your best defense.

What about you?

Have you taken any steps to protect your business from cyber threats? What’s one thing you could do this week to improve your digital safety? Let’s keep the conversation going—because when small businesses stay secure, our whole community grows stronger.

This article was developed with the support of AI tools. I used ChatGPT and Perplexity.ai to research commonly held myths about artificial intelligence and to locate credible sources like Verizon DBR, IBM, and Microsoft  that helped inform the content. I also used Grammarly to review spelling, grammar, and clarity. These tools helped organize, refine, and strengthen the ideas presented—but every sentence was reviewed and shaped by me. The thoughts and conclusions are my own.

If you have an idea for a Community Voices column, email Meghan Goth at mgoth@linknky.com.

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