HONOLULU (KHON2) — A cyber security program to help small businesses strengthen their defenses and protect client information is the first of its kind in Hawaii.
“Cyber crime in general is on the rise. In the last, I’d say three months, we’ve had a big rash of it,” stated Derek Gabriel, Ignite Solutions Group CEO.
From big healthcare companies, car dealerships, and even the City’s Bus and Handi-Van service, cyber-attacks not only target large corporations– small businesses can also become victims of cyber-attacks where they could end up paying exorbitant amounts of money or worse case scenarios, close down.
“Of all the problems that businesses have, I think it’s one of the most serious, one of the easiest to sort of gloss over,” said Gabriel.
IT experts say ransomware and email compromise are the most common scams. Businesses dealing with tourists are at higher risk due to the high volume of emails they deal with when communicating with travelers, per Gabriel.
Businesses like Dr. Venesh Sharma’s health clinic are looking to strengthen their cyber security even more.
“It’s our kuleana to keep your records safe whenever you come to a doctor’s office,” said Dr. Sharma.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) invested $950,000 to launch a cyber security program to help.
“It is a little bit like an insurance policy because as long as everything is going fine, it doesn’t cost any money,” stated DBEDT’s Branch Chair, Mark Ritchie. “But if you are attacked, you could be down for a week, a couple of weeks, you might have ransomware, you could lose customer records, you could really face a lot of material injury.”
The program includes cyber awareness training, risk assessment, and resources at no cost to business owners.
“An outside firm actually tries to get into your system just to see how secure it is. The last component will be some funds available for companies on a reimbursable basis,” stated Ritchie.
These funds would go toward new equipment, firewalls, and systems to help businesses become more cyber-secure. As of now, there are 60 firms participating in the pilot program.
DBEDT is looking to recruit 40 more small businesses that have less than 50 workers and have been established for less than five years.
The department is prioritizing restaurants and businesses in retail, manufacturing, healthcare, construction, agriculture, and finance. You can apply for the program, here.