Ransomware: How One in Two SMBs Gets Hacked (And How to Avoid It)

It usually starts with an email that looks legitimate: an invoice, a DHL parcel, an HR document. One click on the link or attachment silently installs malware. For days or even weeks, the software maps your network before encrypting all your files at once: accounting, quotes, product photos, customer records. SMBs are targeted because they often pay the ransom due to lack of backups.

No IT director, no dedicated security budget, simple passwords reused everywhere, backups on an external hard drive permanently plugged in (which the ransomware also encrypts). Cybercriminals know this and specifically target companies with 5 to 100 employees: big enough to pay, too small to defend themselves. In France, the average cost of an attack for an SMB is €80,000 (ransom + business interruption + recovery).

Microsoft Defender for Business (included in Business Premium, €22/month/user) monitors every device in real time. It detects abnormal behavior BEFORE encryption begins. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 analyses every attachment in an isolated environment ('sandbox') before you receive it. With OneDrive, your files have a 93-day history: if attacked, restore everything in 2 clicks. Together these replace security solutions that would cost 5 to 10 times more separately.