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Cyber Risk for SMBs: What the Stats Say—and What You Can Do

Written by CYBERx | May 1, 2025 1:06:04 PM

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.

 

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 risk analysis 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.

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
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