Data Breaches Ensnare Companies of All Sizes

Recent data breaches have rocked big-box retailers and other large companies, but experts warn businesses of all sizes are at risk from cyberattacks.

The Star Tribune reports that [24]7.ai, the company that runs Best Buy’s online chat services, recently suffered a data breach. According to Best Buy, thousands of customers’ payment information may have been exposed as a result of this breach.

“As best we can tell, only a small fraction of our overall online customer population could have been caught up in this [24]7.ai incident, whether or not they used the chat function,” Best Buy  says in a statement. “We are fully aware that our customers expect their information to be safeguarded and apologize to the extent that did not happen in this case.”

Best Buy says the [24]7.ai data breach occurred between September 27 to October 12. The company has released a statement to answer questions related to the breach.

The Star Tribune notes that in recent weeks, clothing companies Hudson’s Bay and Under Armour have both suffered data breaches. Reuters reports that Sears Holdings and Delta Air Lines were recently the victims of similar cyberattacks.

Gene Marks, a customer relationship consultant, writes in The Washington Post that small businesses are not immune from cyberthreats. Citing data from internet security firm SiteLock, Marks says the typical small business website is attacked 44 times a day by an army of malicious bots and malware.

Marks notes that infected websites can redirect online visitors to dangerous websites, possibly putting your company’s reputation in jeopardy. If retailers connect internal systems like customer accounts and consumer data to their websites, those systems could also be exposed in a cyberattack, Marks writes.

Luckily, small business owners do have a range of resources to protect their businesses online. For more information on how cyberattacks threaten small businesses, be sure to visit the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) All-Industry Conference from May 8-10 in Las Vegas. On Wednesday, May 9, Scott Reynolds, CEO of Member Insurance, will detail the ways small businesses fall prey to hackers and how you can ensure your business is protected online.