As the world becomes more and more digital and internet-focused, the risk of being exposed to an attack operating in this media increases.

Alongside countries that use espionage and cyber attacks, there are also conventional criminals who use sophisticated software developed by large organizations and countries or by groups of dark hackers in order to extort knowledge and information, money or cause real damage to competitors and rivals.

Now, a 2020 study has ranked New York as the least cyber secure state in the US. The study is based on a survey of over 10,000 Americans that asked questions concerning personal cybersecurity habits.

A prevalent theme which seemed to be determining the data the most was the lack of knowledge regarding cyber threats. Of the respondents surveyed, 78% were “familiar” with malware and 68% knew about possible phishing scams, but that leaves a lower percentage of people claiming they were well versed in the above terms.

Common Security Errors that Businesses and Individuals Make

In terms of cyber hygiene, New York is classed as the riskiest state. Why is this the case?

New York is home to a large number of small businesses, which are more than likely to assume that their business is safe and at very low risk. Without implementing stronger safety rules, they may make simple mistakes because they just don’t appreciate the consequences of not doing so. They may make some critical errors: 

1. They often share passwords or use personal passwords and data for their business without separating the two. 
2. They don’t think they need cyber security.
3. They don’t use cloud based services to store and backup data.
4. Their employees aren’t aware of cyber threats to the degree they should be.
5. They are unaware about the dangers of Malware and Phishing attacks.
6. They don’t leave things to the professionals.
7. They are overconfident and erroneously believe they are well aware of attacks and can avoid them.
8. They don’t change or update passwords frequently.
9. They open up email attachments without thoroughly checking the source.
10. They don’t properly estimate the devastation that a cyber threat could cause.

Any business is subject to fines and lawsuits if customer data is breached, and such a breach can also cause a loss of clientele.

To avoid falling prey to cyber attackers, the best thing you can do to secure your business is work with trusted, experienced IT professionals. A professional IT company in Greenwich can oversee computer systems, implement a comprehensive cybersecurity plan, and more for New York businesses—because safety should always come first.