Picture this: It's two days till your taxes are due. You dutifully boot up your computer and instantly see your hard drive has crashed. Even worse, you realize that your customers’ credentials, like their credit card numbers, have been breached. You’ve been the victim of a cybercrime.
UNLV’s Free Cyber Clinic exists to prevent situations like this. The nonprofit, student-led organization aims to educate small businesses on cyberse- curity, while using real-world experience to train current students. Established in 2021, the clinic has recruited more than 20 students as fully cer- tified members. Their message is simple: No business is ever too small to be hacked. Quite the opposite, since small-busi- ness owners are the target of 43 percent of all cyber-attacks. Despite this, many are not pre- pared, and thus risk serious damage to their business.
Here’s what to expect when you call the clinic:
Assessment. What’s the risk profile of your computers, iPads, or cash registers on-site? Are there any Wi-Fi routers in plain sight? Do you regularly change your passwords or update your systems? Once the clinic’s members assess how you’re currently doing, they’ll have a better idea of how vulnerable you are to any more threats.
Remediation. Next, the clinic can prepare to solve the issues you may have and recommend courses of action to improve your security. Common vulnerabilities are exposed Wi-Fi routers or not having a pass- word on your network.
“(Businesses owners’) hard work just goes down the drain,” says Christian Rodriguez, the clinic’s president, “all because of a simple ransomware attack that could have been prevented. What could have saved these business- es was just simple practices.”
Education. Finally, the clinic aims to educate you, since the more common cybersecurity knowledge is, the less likely you are to be attacked successfully.
“We’re relying on technology almost everywhere,” Rodriguez says. “If you use a computer, you should be educated. Especially if you’re running a business and you have people’s sensitive information.”