Small businesses get hit because attackers assume nobody is watching. Most of the damage does not come from anything sophisticated, it comes from a fake invoice, a password reused across five accounts, or a laptop taken out of a bakkie. We put sensible protection in place and show your people what to look for.
Protecting the devices
Every computer needs current antivirus, an operating system that still receives security updates, and a firewall that is switched on. We install and manage protection across your machines, make sure updates are actually applying, and check the settings that get quietly turned off over time. Laptops that leave the premises get encrypted, so a stolen machine costs you hardware and nothing else.
Email and invoice fraud
This is the one that empties bank accounts on the West Coast and everywhere else. Someone watches your email, waits for an invoice to go out, then sends a follow-up from a lookalike address with different banking details. We configure the domain records and mail filtering that block most of it, and we set a simple rule for your staff: banking details are confirmed by phone, on a number you already had.
Passwords and multi-factor authentication
One reused password is all it takes. We set up multi-factor authentication on email and the accounts that matter, so a stolen password on its own is not enough to get in. We can also set up a password manager for the business, which is far more practical than the notebook next to the keyboard.
Backups as your last line
Ransomware is survivable if your backups are intact and separate from the machines being encrypted. We keep a copy offsite, restrict who can reach the backups, and test restores so you know what you would actually get back.
Helping staff spot the obvious ones
Most attacks arrive as an email asking someone to hurry. We walk your staff through the ones we see in practice, including fake delivery notices, urgent requests that appear to come from the owner, and login pages that are almost right. Nobody gets a lecture, and nobody gets made to feel stupid for clicking something.
If something has already happened
Phone us before you do anything else. Do not delete anything, do not pay anything, and do not carry on using a machine you suspect is compromised. We will work through containing it, finding how it got in, and getting you back to work.
Common questions
How does invoice-interception fraud actually work?
Someone gets into an email account, usually with a password stolen or guessed, then reads quietly for weeks without changing anything. When an invoice goes out, they send a follow-up from a lookalike address with one character different, saying the banking details have changed. Your client pays the wrong account and the money is gone before anyone checks. The rule that stops it is simple: confirm banking details by phone, on a number you already had.
Is antivirus on its own enough?
No. Antivirus stops known malware and does nothing about the attacks that actually cost small businesses money. A fake invoice from a lookalike address is not a virus. A reused password used to sign in to your email is not a virus. You need multi-factor authentication on the accounts that matter, mail filtering that catches the impersonation attempts, and backups that are separate from the machines they protect. Keep the antivirus, and do not treat it as the whole of your protection.
Do small businesses really get targeted?
Yes, and mostly because nobody is watching. Attacks on small businesses are not personal, they are automated sweeps looking for an email account with a weak password or a machine that has not been updated. A guesthouse, a two-person accounting practice and a fishing supply business all have the same things worth stealing: a bank account and an email address people trust. Size is not the protection people assume it is.
What should we do if we think we have been hit?
Phone 066 220 8423 before you do anything else. Do not delete anything, do not pay anything, and do not carry on using a machine you suspect is compromised, because both the evidence and the recovery depend on what is still there. If money has moved, phone your bank immediately as well, since the window to stop a payment is short. We work through containing it, finding how it got in, and getting you back to work.