NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Ransomware attacks are hitting small businesses. These are experts’ top defense tips.

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The Ransomware Task Force ? which was started in 2021, comprising U.S. government officials, academics and members of think tanks and the private sector ? recently released a new report with small and midsized businesses’ cybersecurity needs in mind. NPR reports that it lays out a checklist for preparation, defense and recovery from ransomware attacks. To tamp down on the law enforcement response to larger attacks on infrastructure, it appears more hackers are focused on small businesses that won’t draw as much attention as businesses with fewer than 500 employees were hit by 70% of the attacks in 2021. The report recommends identifying and understanding the role of all the pieces of the organization’s security system in storing data, having an access system that only allows employees access to parts of the network they need to work, keeping tabs on vulnerabilities through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency website, and patching them as needed — and that’s just the preparation phase.