You don't need to be a large company to be targeted by a cyberattack. In fact, small businesses can be attractive targets precisely because they often have limited security resources while still holding valuable data and access to their customers.

A website can be hacked. An email account can be taken over. An employee can be tricked into clicking a fake link. A password can leak. Or a business can be hit by ransomware and lose access to important files.

The good news is that a lot of basic security doesn't have to be complicated.

Here are 10 concrete measures every small business should consider.

1. Use strong, unique passwords

One of the simplest attacks is also one of the most common: a password gets stolen โ€” and reused elsewhere.

If the same password is used for email, Facebook, your website, Microsoft 365, Google, your accounting system, hosting and an online store, one compromised password can give an attacker access to several services.

Do this: Use long, unique passwords for each service. Even better: use a password manager. Then employees only need to remember one master password, while the system handles the rest.

2. Turn on two-factor authentication

Passwords alone are no longer a sufficient security barrier. With two-factor authentication โ€” often called 2FA or MFA โ€” an extra confirmation is required when you log in. That could be a code, an authenticator app, a security key, or biometric verification.

If someone gets hold of your password, they still have an extra barrier to get through.

Prioritize especially: email accounts, admin accounts, Microsoft 365/Google Workspace, your website and hosting, financial systems, cloud storage, and social media. Start with admin and email accounts.

3. Update your website and software

An outdated version of software can contain known security holes. This applies to WordPress, plugins, themes, CMS platforms, PHP, server software, e-commerce platforms and booking solutions, among others.

Hackers don't necessarily need to find a new vulnerability. They can simply look for businesses still running an old version with a known one.

So: Update. Remove what you don't use. Replace old plugins. Check the server. Keep track of security updates.

Automatic updates can be useful where it's safe to do so, but critical systems should also be monitored after updates.

4. Back up โ€” and test it

Imagine all your business documents suddenly being encrypted. Customer records. Quotes. Accounting. Photos. Contracts. Project documentation.

If you don't have a working backup, the situation can become serious. So the business should have a well-thought-out backup strategy. A good solution should account for:

  • What gets backed up?
  • How often?
  • Where is the copy stored?
  • How long is it kept?
  • Is the backup protected against deletion or encryption?
  • Have we tested that it can actually be restored?

That last point matters. A backup you've never tested isn't necessarily a backup you can rely on.

5. Teach employees to recognize phishing

Many cyberattacks don't start with advanced hacking. They start with an email. For example:

"Your invoice is ready."
"Click here to avoid your account being closed."

The goal might be to get the employee to click a link, open an attachment, enter a password, pay a fake invoice, or install software.

Make a simple rule: if you're unsure โ€” don't click. Check the sender. Check the address. Go directly to the service's website instead of using the link in the email. And ask a colleague or the responsible person if something seems suspicious.

6. Protect email extra carefully

The email account is often one of the business's most important digital keys. If an attacker gains control of it, they might try to read messages, reset passwords, impersonate the business, send fake invoices, contact customers, or gain access to other services.

So email should be secured with MFA, a strong password, updated systems, spam and phishing filters, and good access routines.

Businesses using their own domains should also make sure relevant email security mechanisms are configured correctly.

7. Limit who has admin rights

Not every employee needs admin rights. If a regular user account is compromised, the consequences can be far greater if that account also has access to critical systems.

So apply this principle:

Give employees only the access they need to do their job.

An employee who writes website content might not need server access. An accounting employee might not need access to website administration. An external supplier might only need temporary access. This is often called the principle of least privilege.

8. Secure phones and computers

Security isn't just about the server. A laptop or phone can provide access to email, customer data, documents, cloud storage, financial systems, social media, and the business's internal systems.

So the business's devices should be protected with, among other things:

  • Screen lock
  • Updates
  • Antivirus/endpoint protection where relevant
  • Encryption
  • Automatic locking
  • Backup
  • Remote wipe where relevant

And if an employee loses their phone: how quickly can access be shut off? That should be part of the business's routines.

9. Keep control of who has access to the website

This matters especially for businesses that use external web developers, marketers, or other suppliers. Over time, there can be many users with access to the website, hosting, domain, DNS, databases, Google account, analytics tools, and social media.

The problem arises when people stop working with the business but still have access.

So create an access list: Who has access? What do they have access to? Why? Is the access still necessary? When was it last reviewed?

Remove access that's no longer needed.

10. Make a simple plan for when something goes wrong

No security solution is 100 percent risk-free. So the business should know what to do if something happens. Think through the following scenarios:

  • The website has been hacked. What do we do?
  • The email account has been taken over. Who do we contact?
  • A computer is infected. Should it be disconnected from the network?
  • Customer data may be affected. Who assesses the situation?
  • We suspect a data breach. Who's responsible for handling it?

A simple response plan can save valuable time.

Bonus: don't forget the people

Technology alone doesn't solve security. A business can have a firewall, antivirus, MFA, backups and secure servers โ€” and still get tricked if someone transfers money to the wrong account after a fake email.

So security should be part of the company culture. Employees should know what to do if they get a suspicious email, and who to contact. That last part matters especially. An employee should be able to say:

"I think I made a mistake."

without being afraid of getting blamed. It's better to discover a possible security issue after two minutes than after two days.

What about AI?

Artificial intelligence brings new possibilities โ€” but also new security challenges. AI can, among other things, be used to create highly convincing phishing emails, fake messages, voice cloning, images, documents, and messages in other languages.

That means "poor language" is no longer necessarily a clear sign of fraud. At the same time, AI can also be used defensively โ€” for analysis, monitoring, and automating security work.

For small businesses, this mainly means: don't blindly trust that a message looks professional. Always verify critical requests.

A simple security check for your small business

Answer yes or no to these questions.

Accounts

  • Do all employees use unique passwords?
  • Is MFA enabled on important accounts?
  • Do former employees still have access?

Website

  • Are the CMS and plugins updated?
  • Have unnecessary plugins been removed?
  • Does the web host/server have satisfactory security?

Data

  • Do we have backups?
  • Have we tested restoring them?
  • Do we know where important data is stored?

Employees

  • Have employees been trained on phishing?
  • Do they know who to contact in an incident?

Preparedness

  • Do we know what to do if the website is hacked?
  • Do we know what to do if an email account is taken over?
  • Do we know who's responsible for security?

If you answered no to several of these questions, the business likely has some areas worth reviewing.

What should a small business do first?

You don't have to solve everything in one day. Start with these five:

1. Enable MFA
On email and admin accounts.

2. Replace weak and reused passwords
Consider using a password manager.

3. Update your website and software
Remove old and unnecessary components.

4. Check your backup
And test that data can actually be restored.

5. Talk to your employees
Everyone should know how to handle suspicious messages.

This is a solid foundation.

Security is part of digital operations

A website isn't finished once it's published. It needs to be updated, secured, monitored, maintained, backed up, and reviewed over time. The same applies to the business's other digital solutions.

So cybersecurity should be seen as part of normal operations โ€” not something you only think about after an attack.

1Fremdrift โ€” digital solutions with security in focus

At 1Fremdrift, digital development isn't just about how a website looks. A professional digital solution also has to account for security, updates, access management, backups, privacy, performance, accessibility, usability, and ongoing operations and maintenance.

When we build digital solutions, security should therefore be part of the whole from the start.

A good digital solution shouldn't just work when everything goes as normal. It should also be built with an eye to what could go wrong.

YOU HAVE AN IDEA. WE CREATE FREMDRIFT.

Talk to 1FREMDRIFT โ†’

Conclusion

Small businesses don't need a massive security budget to improve their digital security. But they do need good routines.

The most important measures are often surprisingly simple: strong and unique passwords, MFA, updated software, backups, training, limited access, secure devices, control over suppliers and admins, good routines, and a plan for when something happens.

No solution eliminates all risk. But many attacks become harder to carry out โ€” and the consequences smaller โ€” once a business has basic security in place.

Digital momentum is also about staying safe along the way.