Startups are prime targets for cyberattacks because they move fast, prioritize growth over security, and often have minimal protections in place. Here are the five threats most likely to hit your startup – and what to do about each one.
1. Phishing Emails
What it is: Fake emails designed to steal credentials or install malware. They look like real messages from banks, SaaS vendors, or even your CEO.
Why startups are vulnerable: Fast-moving teams click links without thinking. No email security beyond basic spam filtering. No training on what to watch for.
Fix: Advanced email filtering, security awareness training, and MFA on all accounts (so stolen passwords alone aren’t enough).
2. Ransomware
What it is: Malware that encrypts all your files and demands payment for the decryption key.
Why startups are vulnerable: No backups (or backups on the same network that get encrypted too), no endpoint protection, no monitoring to catch it early.
Fix: Endpoint protection (catches it before it runs), offsite backups (restore without paying), and monitoring (detect lateral movement before encryption).
3. Credential Stuffing
What it is: Attackers take passwords from breaches (LinkedIn, Adobe, etc.) and try them against your company accounts. If any employee reuses passwords, they get in.
Why startups are vulnerable: No password policies, no MFA, employees using personal passwords for work accounts.
Fix: MFA on everything (makes stolen passwords useless), password manager for the team, and SSO to reduce the number of separate passwords needed.
4. Business Email Compromise (BEC)
What it is: Attacker gains access to an executive’s email (usually via phishing) and uses it to request wire transfers, change payment details, or steal data.
Why startups are vulnerable: Flat hierarchies where the CEO emails the finance person directly, no secondary verification for payments, trust-based culture.
Fix: MFA on email, verbal verification policy for any payment changes, email security that detects compromised accounts.
5. Unpatched Software
What it is: Known vulnerabilities in software that have patches available but haven’t been applied. Attackers scan for these automatically.
Why startups are vulnerable: No one managing updates. “Update later” clicked every time. Developer machines running outdated dependencies.
Fix: Automated patch management that pushes updates without user intervention. Managed centrally, applied overnight.
The Common Thread
All five threats are preventable with basic managed security: endpoint protection, MFA, email security, patching, and backups. None of these are expensive or complicated. They just need to be in place and managed consistently – which is exactly what flat-rate managed IT provides.
Need IT help? Seashore IT provides flat-rate managed IT for businesses with 5-250 computers across the Western US – from auto shops and contractors to law firms and healthcare practices. Call (833) 997-6886 or email info@seashoreit.com.
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