APT Threats: A Call to Action for Small Businesses

The statistics are hard to ignore: 57% of large corporations consider APT-level cybersecurity measures critical to their operations. Meanwhile, 60% of small businesses that suffer a significant cyberattack may not survive beyond six months.

Advanced persistent threats aren’t just a problem for Fortune 500 companies. Small businesses are increasingly targeted, either directly or as stepping stones into larger organizations through supply chain relationships.

What You Should Do Now

The pattern of these attacks is consistent: skilled attackers gain access, stay hidden, and extract data over time. The breaches that make headlines often went undetected for months before discovery. That means your defenses need to focus on both prevention and detection.

Build Layered Defenses

No single tool will protect you. Combine:

• [ ] Current, patched software across all systems
• [ ] Multi-factor authentication on every account
• [ ] Endpoint detection and response (EDR) on all devices
• [ ] Email security with anti-phishing capabilities
• [ ] Network segmentation to contain any breach
• [ ] Regular backups stored separately from your main network

Monitor for Signs of Compromise

• [ ] Watch for logins at unusual times or from unexpected locations
• [ ] Track large or unusual data transfers
• [ ] Review admin account activity regularly
• [ ] Set up alerts for new accounts or privilege changes you didn’t authorize

Train Your Team

• [ ] Run phishing awareness training quarterly
• [ ] Make sure everyone knows how to report suspicious activity
• [ ] Practice your incident response plan at least annually

Have Legal and Insurance Ready

• [ ] Maintain cyber insurance with coverage appropriate to your risk
• [ ] Have legal counsel identified who specializes in data breach response
• [ ] Know your notification obligations under applicable regulations

The Stakes

When a small business suffers a breach, the costs aren’t just financial. Customer trust erodes. Business relationships get strained. Regulatory penalties add up. Recovery takes months.

The businesses that survive these incidents are the ones that prepared beforehand. That means having defenses in place, keeping them current, and having a plan ready for when prevention isn’t enough. Take the time now, before you need it.