The 6 Most Common Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Found in SMBs (And How To Avoid Them)

For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), knowing and remediating cybersecurity vulnerabilities is absolutely critical for the longevity and stability of the organization. And one of the most effective ways to identify and address those vulnerabilities is through a general cybersecurity assessment.

The process of an assessment like this involves examining your security practices, reviewing your policies conducting detailed inventories, identifying vulnerabilities and implementing actionable remediation recommendations.

Our IT professionals at Warren Averett Technology Group have been conducting general cybersecurity assessments for many types of companies for many years, and throughout our work, we often see the same six cybersecurity vulnerabilities arise in SMBs, regardless of their industry, function or location.

Knowing these most common pitfalls ahead of time can help you make informed decisions to avoid them and ultimately enhance your own SMB’s success and resilience.

1. Misconfigurations

If settings aren’t properly maintained for your applications, databases or network devices, it can create weak points that hackers can exploit. These kinds of incorrect settings can include:

• Misconfigured firewalls
• Open ports
• Default credentials
• Improper or non-existent segmentation

To prevent security misconfigurations, thoroughly train your employees on proper configuration settings or have a trained professional configure your IT systems for you.

Your IT environment evolves as your business changes, so it’s important to review your settings periodically or any time your organization experiences a notable IT change, such as updating your IT equipment or refreshing your infrastructure.

2. Unpatched Software

Unpatched software can have known vulnerabilities caused by outdated software versions or improper software maintenance practices. Depending on the complexity of a patch, it can take vendors anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks to create a patch that can resolve the issue. In the meantime, attackers are also aware of the unpatched security flaws and can target them.

It’s always a good practice to apply software updates as soon as possible after they become available. In fact, you should create a robust patch management plan that ensures that patches are always applied quickly and appropriately.

These updates can help reduce security risks and keep your software and devices operating smoothly. We generally recommend that your active software goes back no further than one version release.

3. Weak Credentials

Weak credentials can include passwords that were never changed, are easily predictable or have been reused across successive installations or deployments. The lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA) also contributes to weak credentialing.

You should have a well-written password policy with stringent criteria, such as length requirements and a mixture of text and other characters. A passphrase can be used instead of a password to add complexity and make gaining access to your systems more difficult for hackers.

Implementing a strong password policy and implementing MFA are fundamental security measures for all applications, especially business- or operation-critical ones.

4. Lack of Data Encryption

Data can’t be properly protected unless it’s properly encrypted—both in transit and at rest. Data encryption ensures that even if a system or device is compromised, the data can remain undecipherable to attackers (as long as they don’t have the decryption key).

Your company should have data encryption policies that are a good fit for your particular organization. The policies should take into account factors like the types of data that has to be encrypted, user authorizations and the protection levels needed.

Your company’s encryption practices will be a critical component of your overall cybersecurity plan, simultaneously protecting all of your sensitive data while making sure that you’re able to meet any applicable compliance regulations.

5. Unsecured APIs

As the digital connectors of modern IT systems, application programming interfaces (APIs) have become fundamental to business and web application development. By design, APIs facilitate access by enabling data exchange, integration and communication. But when they are not secured, they can be a perfect entry point into your systems for attackers.

Using API gateways to manage and route the requests for access to the services inside a system can make it easier to secure APIs at scale. This access control can be extended further by securing all of your system’s API endpoints. API security should be continuous, supplemented by the regular monitoring and logging of API activity to aid in detecting and responding to security events.

6. Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

Unknown or newly discovered security flaws not yet patched by vendors can present prime opportunities for hackers. These types of vulnerabilities are a part of the software from the moment it’s on the market, and they can remain undetected for some time. In the meantime, the bad actors can implement attacks to exploit the flaw while the vendor rushes to resolve the vulnerabilities.

One proactive measure for addressing zero-day vulnerabilities is threat intelligence. Threat intelligence can provide actionable data from multiple relevant sources, including cyberattack trends, cybersecurity research and dark web monitoring. You can use this information to be prepared when you have to give a timely response.

Does Your SMB Have These Common Vulnerabilities?

Hackers are inclined to target SMBs because they assume that smaller companies won’t have the adequate measures in place to protect their assets and data. But that doesn’t have to be true.

It’s essential to make sure that your SMB’s IT infrastructure is always in the best position to defend itself from and respond to cyberthreats. Having regular cybersecurity assessments conducted for your own organization is key.

Having an IT professional analyze and advise on your weak points can help safeguard your organization from financial losses and reputational damage. Investing in robust security measures, like firewalls and employee training, is a strategic imperative—not an expense.