Integrating the best cyber security tools may not be at the top of many small business owners’ priority lists. In many cases, startups believe that their modest operations and resources are unlikely to be in the spotlight of hackers’ interests.

However, this could be incorrect. According to a survey, a cyber attack happens every 39 seconds on average, with 43 percent of these breaches mainly targeting small businesses. A fairly standard breach costs a business around $200,000 to fix. Therefore, a small business can suffer greatly.

For small business owners who would like to adopt cyber security tools, we’ve compiled a list of the best tools to help you protect your business from cyber-attacks.

Cyber security challenges for small businesses

Small businesses encounter problems, such as cybersecurity threats and subsequent actions. During a survey, IT and cyber security professionals working at small and medium-sized businesses were asked about the main information security issues they face. The responses were numerous and are as follows:

  • Among the important cybersecurity threats that more than 28 percent of small and medium enterprise tech startups face is that their company relies on countless manuals and informal cybersecurity processes. This is because many small and medium enterprises do not have the resources to hire cybersecurity professionals or have the budget to pay for cybersecurity services.
  • Over a quarter of business owners report difficulty handling the complexities of numerous separated cybersecurity tools.
  • More than a third of the survey participants said the major cybersecurity dilemma in small businesses is that their managers don’t recognize or believe in reliable cybersecurity.
  • Most of the small businesses’ employees lack adequate knowledge of security threats, and the businesses offer weak to no training to improve their skills.

As we wrote this article, we are aware of the challenges that face small businesses when thinking about their cyber security strategy. Therefore, here is a few security toolkits that can be of great effect for small businesses.

Small Business Cyber Security Tool and Tricks

There is a range of toolkits for small businesses and interesting tricks to ensure reliable security practices with cost-effective measures.

The common misconception among businesses is that there are few resources to protect your systems. In this part, we offer different tools that target various security elements such as penetration testing, password auditing, packet sniffers, and CyberSecurity Management Tools.

Tools for system and penetration testing

Kali Linux is among the most widely used cybersecurity tools. It is a security auditing running system that includes at least 300 various tools. Kali Linux includes some features that allow businesses to scan their systems and IT structures for threats. 

The key advantage of Kali Linux is that it could be used by people with varying levels of information security expertise. As a result, it does not necessitate the expertise of highly-skilled cybersecurity professionals. The majority of the toolkits included with the os are ready for implementation, which means that users can effectively manage the security of their data networks with a simple interface.

Metasploit is a fantastic toolkit that includes a range of instruments for conducting penetration testing activities. IT specialists and information security experts employ Metasploit to achieve various security goals. These include recognizing threats and risks in a network or system, developing approaches for reinforcing information security defensive lines, and trying to manage the results of finalized security assessments.

CyberSecurity Management Tools

KisMAC is an information security instrument for MAC OS X that is created to keep mobile communication. It includes a wide range of functionalities aimed at seasoned cybersecurity professionals. As a result, compared to the other methods used for similar purposes, it may be unfriendly to newcomers.

This tool can scan wireless networks passively on supported Wi-Fi cards such as Apple’s AirPort Extreme and AirPort, as well as third-party cards. To crack the security of WPA and WEP keys, KisMAC employs a variety of techniques, including cyberattacks and exploiting flaws such as incorrect security vital gen and poor scheduling. Successful cracking indicates that the keys are not secure, leaving the network vulnerable to attacks.

Netstumbler is a free information security application developed for Windows-based computers. The tool enables professionals to detect open system interconnection ports.

It is also employed in the field of wardriving. Netstumbler was designed exclusively for Windows systems, so no programming language is available. When looking for TCP ports, the tool employs a WAP-seeking approach, which has made it one of the most widely used network defense toolkits. It is also popular for its ability to detect security flaws that some other kinds of security toolkits may not detect.

password auditing and packet sniffers

Tcpdump is an effective instrument for sniffing network data packets. Security experts use it to maintain and track TCP and IP traffic transmitted over a network.

This tool is a command-line software package that examines network activity between the computer on which it is run and the network through which it travels.

Tcpdump specifically tests network security by catching or sorting TCP/IP data traffic transmitted through or collected over the network on a single access point. Tcpdump identifies network traffic packet contents in various formats based on the orders used.

Wireshark is a console-based cyberwarfare instrument that was previously known as Ethereal. Wireshark is a fantastic technique for evaluating internet protocol and is thus used for real-time network security analysis. This tool evaluates network protocols and sniffs the network to detect security flaws.

Wireshark is a helpful tool for inspecting internet traffic details at various levels, first from connection level to individual data packets. Wireshark is used by security professionals to collect data packets and examine the characteristics of individual data packets. The information obtained makes it simple to identify security flaws in the network.

Final Thoughts

Since security has been the concern of businesses of all types. Keeping systems and resources well protected against unauthorized access is vital. However, small businesses tend to neglect their security and adopt weak tools and software.

The good news here is that even startups and small companies can benefit from easy and cheap practices that can strengthen their security.