{“lastseen”:”2026-05-03T12:05:07″,”description”:”There\u2019s a lot to security that isn\u2019t necessarily \u201ccyber.\u201d It\u2019s not all hackers or complex network attacks.\\n\\nAlongside traditional cyberattacks that deploy malware or exploit known software vulnerabilities, there are also less technical\u2014yet equally devastating\u2014forms of theft.\\n\\nThis doesn\u2019t mean that well-known cybersecurity best practices don\u2019t apply. Every small business owner should still use unique passwords for every account, turn on multi-factor authentication, keep their software and operating systems updated, and run always-on cybersecurity software.\\n\\nBut for the everyday small business owner juggling dozens of accounts, networks, devices, and the reams of data being created, stored, and shared across text messages, emails, and online portals, this advice is for you.\\n\\nFor National Small Business Week in the US, here are three ways to protect your business that require little technical prowess.\\n\\n## **Don\u2019t use your Social Security Number as your tax ID**\\n\\nIn the US, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows small business owners to use their personal Social Security Number (SSN) as the Federal Tax ID. It\u2019s a small grace meant to simplify annual record-keeping for sole proprietors and owner-employees, but for cybercriminals, it\u2019s a basic oversight they\u2019d like every small business to make.\\n\\nUsing your Social Security Number as your Federal Tax ID means putting your Social Security Number in an ever-increasing number of hands. That\u2019s because small business taxes are different from taxes for everyday salaried employees. \\n\\nWhenever a small business takes on a new client or a contractor who pays for services costing at least $600, that small business has to share and receive what is called a W-9 form. This exact form isn\u2019t filed with the IRS, but it is used to track payments for later filings. \\n\\nWhat\u2019s more important, though, is that this form asks for an owner\u2019s name, address, and tax ID number. \\n\\nThis means that as a small business grows, its vulnerability to identity theft increases in tandem. Every W-9 filed that uses an owner\u2019s SSN as their tax ID number is another opportunity for that SSN to be stolen. After just one year of operation, a small business owner\u2019s SSN could end up in the inboxes, filing cabinets, and cloud drives of a dozen different people and companies.\\n\\nThis is exactly what cybercriminals want.\\n\\nEquipped with a W-9 form about your business, a cybercriminal could impersonate you or your business. They could open a business credit line, file fraudulent returns that claim your small business income, or scam your clients.\\n\\n**How to stay safe** :\\n\\nApply for a free Employer Identification Number (EIN) at IRS.gov. It\u2019s quick to do and it separates your business tax identity from your personal tax identity. After that, put the EIN on W-9s, 1099s, and all other business paperwork instead of your SSN.\\n\\n## **Keep your personal cloud storage personal**\\n\\nThe most popular cloud storage for most small business owners is the cloud storage they already have\u2014their personal Google Drive or iCloud. \\n\\nBuilt to make memory archival as easy as possible, these tools can automatically back up and secure nearly every single moment that happens through your device, from the vacation photos you snapped last summer, to your kid\u2019s first steps recorded on video, to the texts you sent, the notes you made, and the calendar appointments you managed.\\n\\nBut this type of automatic archival poses a threat to any non-personal information that you view, send, markup, or sign when using your personal smartphone. Suddenly, and often without thinking about it, your cloud storage has backups of signed contracts, tax returns, client intake forms, invoices, business financial statements, and photos of physical paperwork.\\n\\nAbove, we warned about using your SSN as your tax ID because it creates a risk if anyone in your business network is breached. But storing client information in your personal cloud storage creates a different problem: it puts that risk directly on you.\\n\\nCompounding the threat here is the fact that many personal cloud storage accounts are shared with family members. More people accessing the same account means more exposure and more chances for mistakes, even if everyone has good intentions.\\n\\n**How to stay safe:**\\n\\nGo through the cloud backup settings on both your phone and your computer and manage what data is being synced. Move sensitive business files to a dedicated business storage account with proper access controls, sharing permissions, and audit logs\u2014something that can tell you who opened a file and when.\\n\\nIf anything business-related has to live in a personal cloud account, give that account a strong, unique password, turn on multi-factor authentication, and don’t share access with anyone who isn’t you.\\n\\n## **Protect device and account access in the home**\\n\\nDevices have a funny way of moving around. Your smartphone goes into your spouse\u2019s hands as they override your music choices in the car. Your tablet ends most nights in your kid\u2019s bedroom as they watch TV. And your laptop gets tugged around from couch to counter to kitchen table\u2014each time fully opened and logged in, a portal to the web.\\n\\nYou trust everyone in your home to act safely online, but the path to online safety is full of mistakes.\\n\\nA single errant click on a fake ad, a malicious search result, or a disguised download is all it takes to compromise your device today, along with all your small business records. \\n\\nAside from the threat of malware, someone using your device could make purchases, accidentally delete files, and overwrite important documents.\\n\\nRemember, an \u201cinsider threat\u201d doesn\u2019t need to be malicious to cause damage\u2014they just need to be inside your network (which in this, is your home).\\n\\n**How to stay safe** :\\n\\nTreat your devices that you use for work as work devices. That means requiring a passcode or password for device entry, along with multi-factor authentication for important business accounts.\\n\\nAlso, to ensure that any wrong click doesn\u2019t lead to a malicious PDF download or a wayward malware installation, use always-on antimalware protection software, like Malwarebytes for Teams.\\n\\n## **Secure your success**\\n\\nIt\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed with modern cybersecurity advice. Every week there are new vulnerabilities to patch, emerging scams to avoid, and novel viruses and pieces of malware that can seemingly take over your device, your data, and your business.\\n\\nThankfully, there are important steps you can take today that don\u2019t require you to fiddle with internal settings or take a class on network engineering. Some of the most effective protections are simple: Limit how widely you share sensitive information, keep business and personal data separate, and control who can access your devices.\\n\\nFor everything else, try Malwarebytes for Teams to receive 24\/7, always-on antimalware protection to shut out viruses, block malware attacks, and keep hackers out of your business.”,”published”:”2026-05-03T10:33:26″,”modified”:”2026-05-03T10:33:26″,”type”:”malwarebytes”,”title”:”3 easy-to-miss cybersecurity risks for small businesses”,”source”:””,”references”:””,”id”:”MALWAREBYTES:B6EC4503D6CF8AD10A3262C2496BFD6B”,”bulletinFamily”:”blog”,”cwe”:null,”cvelist”:[],”sourceData”:””,”sourceHref”:””,”cvss”:{“score”:0,”severity”:”NONE”,”vector”:”NONE”,”version”:”NONE”},”cvss2″:{},”cvss3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””,”cvssV3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””}},”href”:”https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/how-to\/2026\/05\/3-easy-to-miss-cybersecurity-risks-for-small-businesses”,”category_name”:”News”,”post_link”:””,”product”:””,”version”:””,”vendor”:””,”ai_description”:””,”ai_severity”:””,”ai_vendor”:””,”ai_product”:””,”ai_version”:””,”ai_score”:0}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
{“lastseen”:”2026-05-03T12:05:07″,”description”:”There\u2019s a lot to security that isn\u2019t necessarily \u201ccyber.\u201d It\u2019s not all hackers or complex network attacks.\\n\\nAlongside traditional cyberattacks that deploy malware or exploit known…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,8,12,115,13,33,7,11,5],"class_list":["post-51069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-category_news","tag-cve","tag-cvss","tag-exploit","tag-malwarebytes","tag-news","tag-none","tag-security","tag-tapic","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"\n