--- title: "Cyber Risk for SMBs: What the Stats Say—and What You Can Do" description: Think your small business is too small to hack? Think again. Discover why SMBs are prime cyber targets—and no/low-cost proactive steps you can take now. image: https://www.arxnimbus.com/hubfs/CybeRx%20Blog%20Cyber%20for%20SMBs.png --- CYBER FOR SMBs # Cyber Risk for SMBs: What the Stats Say—and What You Can Do Think your small business is too small to hack? Think again. Discover why SMBs are prime cyber targets—and no/low-cost proactive steps you can take now. [ CYBERx ](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/author/cyberx) May 1, 2025 --- According to recent 2025 data from StrongDM, nearly **50% of small businesses** have experienced a cyberattack in the last 12 months. Worse? 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyber incident. That’s not just a stat. That’s a shutdown. And yet, the misconception persists: cyber risk is a “big business” problem. Here’s the truth—**SMBs are low-hanging fruit** for threat actors who’ve automated their scans, phish at scale, and know exactly how vulnerable you are without a dedicated cybersecurity team. #### **![SMBs Risk Report](https://www.arxnimbus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SMBs%20Risk%20Report.png?width=416&height=520&name=SMBs%20Risk%20Report.png) ** ### **Why SMBs Are Prime Targets (And Still Unprepared)** Small businesses often fall into one (or more) of these cyber risk categories: 1. ** ** #### **No CISO. No Cyber Plan. **You’ve got an IT person or managed service provider—maybe. But IT ≠ cybersecurity. Managing your email system is not the same as proactively monitoring for ransomware threats or flagging unusual access attempts. 1. ** ** #### **No Third-Party Security Services. **According to the data, **40% of SMBs do not use any cybersecurity consulting or external services.** Not even a one-time check-up. It’s like skipping oil changes and wondering why the engine fails. 1. ** ** #### **The “Not Worth Hacking” Fallacy. **Thinking you're too small to be worth a hacker’s time? That's exactly what attackers count on. The average ransomware payout in 2025 for SMBs is now over **$250,000**—and that doesn’t include lost revenue or reputation. 1. ** ** #### **Budget Paralysis. **Yes, enterprise-grade solutions can be expensive. But **doing nothing is the most expensive option.** You can take practical, low-lift steps now that reduce risk dramatically—and many are free or low-cost. ### **So What Can You Actually *Do* (Without Breaking the Bank)?** Here’s your **Cyber Starter Pack**—a few things every SMB should do *this month*, no excuses: | **Action** | **Cost** | **Why It Matters** | | --- | --- | --- | | **Enable MFA Everywhere** | Free | Prevents 90%+ of credential-based breaches | | **Patch Your Systems** | Free | Most attacks exploit known, unpatched flaws | | **Run a Phishing Test** | Low | Identify who clicks before the real phish lands | | **Back Up Critical Data (Offsite)** | Low | If ransomware hits, you recover—not pay | | **Get a Cyber ‘Modern’ Risk Evaluation** | Varies | Know where you're vulnerable before attackers do. *Notice how we specifically did not say 'assessment' because that old-school static, check-the-box exercise is not worth the paper it's written on.* | Not sure where to start? ArxNimbus offers an actuarial-based[ discovery](https://www.arxnimbus.com/discovery)[ risk analysis](https://www.arxnimbus.com/discovery) designed *specifically* for SMBs—quick, affordable, and actionable. ### **Cybersecurity Isn’t a Luxury. It’s a Lifeline.** The real threat isn’t that you’re being targeted tomorrow; you’ve already been scanned, flagged, or unknowingly breached. And without visibility, you won’t know until it's too late. You don’t need a massive SOC or an endless security budget, but you **do** need to start somewhere. The longer you delay, the more expensive the recovery will become. ### **Bottom Line: Small Businesses Deserve Better Security** You're not too small to matter—and you're not too broke to act. Let’s change the mindset from **"we can’t afford it"** to **"we can’t afford not to."** If you're ready to get a clearer picture of where your business stands—and how to protect it without the Fortune 500 price tag—[go here to learn more: https://www.arxnimbus.com/discovery](https://www.arxnimbus.com/discovery). We’re here to make cybersecurity make sense (dollars and cents) for small businesses. *Source: https://www.strongdm.com/blog/small-business-cyber-security-statistics#small-business-cybersecurity-overview* [CYBER FOR SMBs](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/tag/cyber-for-smbs) ## Similar posts BOARD OF DIRECTORS ### [Speak the Right Cyber Risk Language to Your Board (Dollars and Cents)](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/cyber-risk-board-speak) Tips and a PowerPoint deck download: Communicate cyber risk effectively to your board by translating cybersecurity threats into business terms. CYBERx Sep 13, 2024 OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE ### [Operational Resilience in a Downturn: An Open Letter to the C-Suite](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/operational-resilience-in-a-downturn-an-open-letter-to-the-c-suite) Cyber threats are outpacing protection. This open letter urges execs to rethink how they manage threat exposure and resilience in dollars and cents. CYBERisk Rx Apr 8, 2025 CYBER INSURANCE PLANNING ### [Maximizing Your Cyber Insurance: 7 Tips for Staying Ahead](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/maximize-cyber-insurance) 7 Tips to ensure your business is fully protected, with minimal gaps, and a cyber policy that delivers when it counts. CYBERx Sep 14, 2024 ##### [**STAY AHEAD OF CYBER THREATS**](https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/cyber-risk-for-smbs-what-the-stats-say-and-what-you-can-do#Newsletter) ### Access to our monthly LIVE ‘RISK CALL’ & ‘CYBERWatch News’ From live sessions with industry leaders to timely, subscriber-only reports on the latest trends, you'll have everything you need —reliably sourced and digestible summaries —to safeguard your assets, reputation, and bottom line. Don’t miss out on the tools that give you a competitive edge in managing and mitigating cyber risks.  ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "CYBERx", "url" : "https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/author/cyberx" }, "dateModified" : "2025-05-01T13:36:22.036Z", "datePublished" : "2025-05-01T13:06:04.000Z", "headline" : "Cyber Risk for SMBs: What the Stats Say—and What You Can Do", "image" : [ "https://www.arxnimbus.com/hubfs/CybeRx%20Blog%20Cyber%20for%20SMBs.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.arxnimbus.com/cyberxblog/cyber-risk-for-smbs-what-the-stats-say-and-what-you-can-do", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.arxnimbus.com/hubfs/Arx%20Nimbus%20Logo%20PNG-1.png" }, "name" : "Arx Nimbus, LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "LocalBusiness", "address" : [ { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Pasadena", "addressRegion" : "CA", "postalCode" : "91105", "streetAddress" : "23 E. Colorado Ave. Suite 101" }, { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Chicago", "addressRegion" : "IL", "postalCode" : "60601", "streetAddress" : "323 E Wacker Drive Suite 300" }, { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Cambridge", "addressRegion" : "MA", "postalCode" : "02142", "streetAddress" : "245 First St 18th Floor" } ], "image" : "https://www.arxnimbus.com/hubfs/Marketing/Images/AN%20Logo%20white%20transparent-v2.png", "name" : "Arx Nimbus LLC", "priceRange" : "$$", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/arx-nimbus/", "https://twitter.com/ArxNimbus" ], "telephone" : "+1-888-422-6584", "url" : "https://www.arxnimbus.com/" } ```