FCC Helps Small Business Plug Huge Cybersecurity Gap

The Federal Communications Commission has launched a new website to help small businesses plug a "security gap" that costs them billions annually, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced.

The new website, "Cyber Security for Small Businesses," is one of several new FCC initiatives designed to help small businesses protect against cyberattacks that Genachowski announced yesterday (May 16) at a roundtable in Washington, D.C., at the start of National Small Business Week.

Genachowski cited a recent Symantec study that found American small businesses lose billions annually to cyberattacks and that 74 percent of small and medium businesses reported being affected by cyber- attacks in the past 12 months at an average cost of $200,000 per incident.

Cyber Security for Small Businesses includes links to a comprehensive list of vendor, nonprofit and government resources and offers a top 10 list of tips for small businesses, which include training employees, installing patches, limiting access and regularly changing passwords .

"It's vital that small business be in the cybersecurity equation," Genachowski said in his roundtable remarks. "In many respects, small businesses have the most to gain from the Internet. But small businesses that don't take protective measures are particularly vulnerable targets for cybercriminals."

The FCC is also partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, SCORE , the National Urban League and security firms Symantec and McAfee to distribute the cybersecurity tip sheet and online resources to small-business owners across the country.

The commission will also partner with the SCORE eBusiness Now Program to provide security expertise at SCORE events for small-business owners across the U.S.

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Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.