6 Proven Ways Startups Can Shield Against Rising Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks can seem like distant threats that only happen to major corporations – the ones making headlines after seven-figure breaches. However, while the media spotlights behemoth targets like Twitter, Uber, and Equifax falling victim – 40% of small businesses suffered a cyber attack just last year alone.

Today, hackers and cybercriminals have startups and SMBs firmly in their crosshairs. These ventures often have light defenses but oodles of lucrative data—from bank account access to intellectual property to employee and customer personal details. One successful breach can set hackers up for months with abundant opportunities for fraud, resale, extortion—the list goes on.

The risks to your startup extend beyond just financial damages or stolen data. With consumers and partners increasingly wary of lax security practices after a breach, it can instantly shatter hard-earned trust and tank your brand reputation not to mention the disruption to operations, which can be outright fatal for early-stage ventures still struggling to establish market fit.

So, if you want your startup to avoid becoming a casualties-of-cyber-war statistic, you need to make security a top priority now. In today’s threat landscape, getting breached is no longer an “if” but “when.”

1. Use a VPN for Secure Connections

A VPN (virtual private network) is one of the easiest ways to add a layer of protection immediately. It encrypts all data transmitted to and from devices on your network, so if a hacker intercepts any of this data, they can’t actually read or access it.

For startups, a VPN secures connections, whether working remotely, using public WiFi or accessing company accounts and data from personal devices off-site. This prevents openings for attackers to sniff data or install malware. A business VPN makes life more challenging for cybercriminals looking for an easy small business target.

Top providers offer user-friendly apps for all devices, extensive server networks, and enterprise-grade encryption. This is a worthwhile investment to close up security gaps significantly.

If you already have a VPN or if you’re looking for more comprehensive security to cover all network resources, plenty of VPN alternatives are available that can scale to your business needs and give you the level of protection required to secure your startup.

2. Use Strong Passwords with a Manager

You’ve probably heard this cybersecurity tip countless times. But weak, stolen, or reused passwords remain one of the top attack vectors against businesses. It’s reported that AI can now crack 51% of common passwords in just 60 seconds! As such, startups need airtight password protocols to ensure hack-proof credentials across the board.

First, enable 2-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible – like email, cloud storage, banking, and other critical SaaS platforms. This combines a password with a secondary step like an SMS code or biometrics. So even if a password leaks, it’s useless to cyber criminals without that other factor.

Second, utilize strong random passwords of 15+ characters for all accounts, with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. While tough to remember, this strength significantly slows down brute-force attacks.

Finally, adopt a trusted password manager that allows you to create and store hardened passwords in encrypted vaults secured behind one master password. Then, the manager auto-fills credentials across sites and devices for you. This allows you to use impossible-to-crack passwords everywhere without the headache of remembering them.

Combined, these password best practices make you an elusive target, sending hackers looking for lower-hanging fruit. They deter most automated cybercrime bots blindly prowling for basic password combos.

3. Install Endpoint Detection & Response

With more businesses shifting towards remote and hybrid work models, endpoint security has become a significant frontier in cybersecurity. Endpoints include laptops, phones, and other devices employees use to access company accounts and data.

Attacks targeting endpoints have surged in recent years, from phishing emails to drive-by malware downloads. Once a device is compromised, hackers can pivot to more comprehensive network access, data exfiltration, and credential theft.

This is where EDR (endpoint detection and response) solutions come in—offering real-time monitoring, attack diagnosis, and automated response directly on devices. Top EDR tools use advanced AI to instantly detect threats, even zero-days, and then neutralize and remediate them.

For startups, EDR is invaluable for securing remote workforces across locations and personal devices. The next-gen protection even withstands sophisticated nation-state hacking groups.

4. Train Employees on Cybersecurity Hygiene

Ultimately, your team forms a critical line of defense against cyber attacks. An employee falling for a phishing scam or clicking a malware link can quickly bypass endpoint solutions and VPN encryptions.

That’s why continuous cybersecurity training is so important—it should cover both awareness and best practices. Have employees complete engaging online courses, then reinforce their learnings through periodic simulated phishing tests and access audits.

You should also create clear cyber hygiene policies around password protocols, public WiFi usage, and access controls. Keep guidelines in mind through tip sheets, meeting reminders, and digital signage around the office. Develop a secure culture vigilantly guarding against threats.

5. Backup Data Offsite

Despite your best efforts at prevention, sometimes cyber attacks still happen. Whether an email scam, supply chain breach, or web app exploit – all it takes is one missed threat, and hackers can infiltrate environments. When they do, one key goal is often ransoming or stealing sensitive data and files.

To counter this digital hostage scenario, implement solid data backup solutions for your startup. This will allow you to quickly restore damaged or lost data without paying a ransom. Look for platforms providing continuous, automated cloud backups across endpoints.

Prioritize backing up critical data like finance records, customer information, transaction logs, source code, and other digital assets that are most valuable to your business. The cloud allows securely storing copies offsite so backups persist even if primary systems are compromised.

Just ensure your cloud backup provider has high standards for availability, encryption, and access controls. Also, confirm that backup data remains isolated from any permissions given to cloud productivity suites like Office 365 or G Suite. Segregating access limits the impact if those collaboration platforms are breached.

6. Leverage Managed Security Services

Finally, while the above measures substantially enhance protections, cybersecurity still requires depth and dedication beyond what most startups can handle internally. Handing off security operations to specialists allows you to offload the burden while benefiting from enterprise-grade capabilities to protect against threats.

This is where Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) deliver their value—contracted SOC crews proactively monitor, defend, and respond to cyber attacks 24/7. Top MSSPs fuse advanced security tools with elite human expertise to meet the sharpest attacks head-on.

For startups, services like firewall management, intrusion detection, endpoint monitoring, and threat hunting provide formidable yet affordable 360-degree security. This frees you to focus innovation energy on your venture while seasoned cyber defense pros maintain vigilance. They form a formidable guard working tirelessly so you don’t have to.

Final Word

The digital frontier remains fraught with bandits looking to score easy paydays. However, implementing these security measures clearly shows that you are no easy target. It shows your startup means business regarding cyber defense, greatly reducing the risks of your data getting hijacked along the trail ahead.