FireEye, a Milpitas, Calif.-based enterprise security specialist, has launched a small business security product to help new SMBs combat advanced threats and fend off determined hackers.
One of those needs is computer security expertise, a rarity on SMB payrolls.
Small business owners often don't consider their companies worthy of a hacker's attention to warrant investing heavily in IT security or hiring professionals. After all, hackers make headlines when they pull off major scores like the recent data breach that may have affected 40 million credit and debit cards used at Target.
As tempting as big retailers and companies are to cybercriminals, SMBs are more likely to end up becoming a hacker's target, said Gupta. He cited figures from Verizon's data breach report that revealed that 77 percent of cyber-attacks were directed at small businesses.
Even if an SMB has the budget to hire a computer security pro, good luck finding one. "There are so few of such people available in the market," and the few looking for work are quickly snapped up by big companies with big budgets.
Small business owners, by and large, are also "very focused on scaling their business, they don't necessarily have the time and the resources to [combat] these advanced threats," said Gupta. So it's not uncommon for small businesses to cobble together a few security solutions like anti-malware and firewalls in the hopes of keeping cybercriminals—who are increasingly enlisting Web, email and mobile technologies—at bay.
"That in and of itself isn't sufficient," said Gupta. "You also need intelligence." FireEye provides that intelligence in the form of virtual machine-based monitoring and its own security researchers, who are trained to connect the dots and to expose sophisticated attempts at accessing a company's data. "If we see an advanced threat in your organization, we pick up the phone," he said.
The company's FireEye NX series security appliances provide the Web threat protection. Designed to prevent Web-based attacks, NX systems—and their underlying security software—guard against zero-day exploits and multi-protocol callbacks.
FireEye helps SMBs combat phishing and other email scams with EX series systems or a cloud-based alternative. On the mobile device front, the company offers a cloud service prevents smartphones and tablets from spilling company secrets to malicious apps, particularly on the Android operating system.
The Android platform's openness, the very benefit that made Google's software the dominant mobile operating system, "also makes it an attractive target for the hackers," said Gupta. A common tactic used by mobile developers to monetize their apps is to include third-party ad code. Unfortunately, he reported, a "malicious library of ads" has been making the rounds.
There is a "whole host of applications in Google Play, that the developers did not intend to be malicious," said Gupta. Apps containing such potentially dangerous code have been downloaded 200 million times, he estimated.
Available now, Oculus also provides continuous monitoring, remote health checks and Cybercon Reports, which the company describes thusly: "Vertical-specific threat information provides a more comprehensive view of the landscape so SMBs are better prepared to manage risk in their specific threat environment."
In a statement, Gupta said his company's technology allows SMBs to "obtain a simple and scalable security solution for advanced threats to safeguard corporate assets and drive down business risks." Customers can mix and match Oculus' capabilities to best suit their needs and budgets, he added.
"SMBs will enjoy an unmatched advanced-threat protection solution with continuous monitoring to augment their limited resources," said Gupta.