7-Minute Read
You’re not flying under the radar anymore. Cybercriminals have made small businesses their primary prey, and the numbers are terrifying. This guide reveals why traditional antivirus is no longer enough, explains the true cost of a cyberattack, and outlines the modern, layered defenses every Ontario small business needs to stay safe.
Let’s be honest about something that might surprise you: you’re not flying under the radar anymore.
If you run a small business or work from home, cybercriminals aren’t just aware of you—they’re specifically hunting for you. 43% of all cyberattacks now target small businesses, and the reason has nothing to do with bad luck.
It’s simple math for the bad guys: it’s easier and more profitable to hit a hundred small businesses for a few thousand dollars each than to crack one heavily fortified corporation.
The Numbers That Should Keep You Up at Night
46% of all data breaches hit companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. Let that sink in for a moment. Nearly half of all cyberattacks target businesses exactly like yours.
But here’s where it gets really scary:
$254,000 average cost per attack
60% of small businesses close within 6 months of a major cyberattack.
55% would go under with just $50,000 in damages
Only 14% of small businesses are prepared to defend themselves against cyberattacks.
The rest? They’re hoping that being “too small to matter” will somehow protect them. That hope is exactly what cybercriminals are counting on.
CASE STUDY
Meet Lisa: When “It Won’t Happen to Us” Becomes “How Did This Happen?”
Lisa runs a thriving accounting practice with eight employees. Last month, everything was going great—busy season was winding down, clients were happy, and her team was catching up on projects.
Then, on a Tuesday morning, everything stopped.
A message appeared on every screen: “Your files have been encrypted. Pay $25,000 in Bitcoin within 48 hours or lose everything.”
Lisa’s first thought wasn’t panic—it was confusion. “We’re just a small accounting firm. Why would anyone target us?”
The answer is brutally simple: because they could.
Three weeks and $40,000 in recovery costs later, Lisa learned the attack started with one employee clicking on what looked like a routine tax document from the IRS.
Why Your Current Security Is Like Bringing a Butter Knife to a Gunfight
If you’re still relying on traditional antivirus software, you’re fighting yesterday’s war with yesterday’s weapons.
90% of cyberattacks start at endpoint devices, but signature-based antivirus only catches threats it already knows about. It’s like having a bouncer who only recognizes troublemakers from last year’s photos.
WHAT TRADITIONAL ANTIVIRUS MISSES
Zero-day exploits
Attacks that have never been seen before—no signature exists to detect them.
Fileless malware
Runs entirely in memory without ever touching your hard drive.
Polymorphic malware
Changes its code with every infection, making it unrecognizable.
Advanced persistent threats
Designed to hide in your systems for months, quietly stealing data.
The Internet of Everything Problem
Your business isn’t just computers anymore. It’s smart thermostats, security cameras, printers, even the coffee machine that connects to Wi-Fi.
With nearly 20 billion connected devices online (projected to hit 29 billion by 2030), each one is a potential backdoor into your network.
Default passwords that never get changed
Little to no security updates
Weak or nonexistent encryption
One breach can compromise your entire network
Think of it this way: you might have a great lock on your front door, but if you leave a window open, it doesn’t matter.
Test Your Cyber Street Smarts
What’s the most common way ransomware sneaks into Canadian small businesses?
A) Hackers breaking into websites
B) Malicious email attachments
C) Infected USB drives
D) Compromised cloud services
See Answer
Answer: B – Malicious email attachments It’s almost always an email. One click on a fake invoice, a spoofed shipping notice, or a “document” from a trusted contact – and you’re compromised.
What Actually Works: Fighting Fire with Fire
Traditional antivirus waits for threats to be identified and catalogued. Modern EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) assumes the attack is already happening and focuses on catching it in real-time.
Instead of asking “Is this a known virus?” EDR asks:
Is this behavior normal for this device?
Why is this process trying to access these files?
Should this application be making network connections?
Independent testing shows modern EDR can block over 99% of threats—and it does so with far less impact on your system performance.
Immediate Impact
Over half take 24+ hours just to start recovering
Nearly 40% lose critical, unrecoverable data
Operations grind to a halt
While you figure out what happened.
Long-Term Consequences
Customer trust evaporates
When their data is compromised.
Partners start questioning your reliability
Insurance premiums skyrocket
Only 17% of small businesses have cyber insurance—most learn they need it after their first attack.
What You Can Do Today (Before It’s Too Late)
The good news? You don’t need to become a cybersecurity expert or break the bank to dramatically improve your protection.
ESSENTIAL DEFENSES
Automated Updates
Patch vulnerabilities before criminals can exploit them.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Essential for all accounts, yet only 20% of SMBs use it consistently.
Reliable, Tested Backups
Your safety net when prevention fails. Test them regularly.
ADVANCED PROTECTION
Modern Email Security
Stops BEC and AI-generated phishing before they reach your inbox.
Next-Generation Firewalls
Inspect encrypted traffic and flag suspicious behavior.
Professional EDR
Proactive, real-time device protection that adapts to new threats.
Why Going It Alone Is No Longer an Option
Here’s a reality check: only 15% of small businesses have dedicated IT staff or a managed security partner. Meanwhile, cybercrime has become the #2 business risk for SMBs worldwide.
You wouldn’t do your own surgery or represent yourself in court for a serious case. Cybersecurity has reached that same level of complexity and consequence.
24/7 monitoring and response
From experts who live and breathe cybersecurity.
Enterprise-grade tools without enterprise costs
Access to real threat intelligence
That individual businesses can’t access.
Defenses that evolve as new threats emerge
The Bottom Line
In 2025, cybersecurity isn’t just an IT concern—it’s a business survival issue.
43% of attacks target small businesses. 55% won’t recover from a major incident. And traditional antivirus just isn’t enough anymore.
The criminals have upgraded their tools and tactics. It’s time to upgrade your defenses.
Don’t let your business become another cautionary tale. Take control of your cybersecurity today.
Sources
- BD Emerson, “Must-Know Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics for 2025,” July 2025
- GetAstra, “51 Small Business Cyber Attack Statistics 2025,” June 2025
- StrongDM, “35 Alarming Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics for 2025,” January 2025
- QualySec, “52 Cybersecurity Statistics For Small Businesses 2025,” July 2025
- Viking Cloud, “192 Cybersecurity Stats and Facts for 2025,” 2025
- NinjaOne, “7 SMB Cybersecurity Statistics for 2025,” June 2025
- Microsoft Security, “What Is EDR? Endpoint Detection and Response,” 2025
- CrowdStrike, “What is EDR? Endpoint Detection & Response Defined,” April 2025
