As an HVAC business owner you\u2019ve probably been warned about internet security. And you\u2019ve probably thought to yourself, \u201cWhy would anyone target me?\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m just a small business, minding my own business.\u201d But here\u2019s the truth \u2013 if you think you aren\u2019t a target, you are incorrect.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just large corporations like SONY, Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, Yahoo, Target and Equifax experiencing major data breaches. It\u2019s happening to HVAC distributors, suppliers, manufacturers and even your favorite marketing firm! Here at EB&L, we spent the better part of the last August prying ourselves from the grip of a tenacious hacker \u2013 and I wouldn\u2019t wish those sleepless weeks, stress and lost revenue on my worst enemy.<\/p>\n
As the HVAC industry becomes more connected and homeowners demand more automation, the need for internet security increases exponentially. And your risk and liability are along for that ride.<\/p>\n
So what do hackers want with you? Their most common objectives are to 1.) gain access to your company data to exploit it in some way, or 2.) to hold your data ransom.<\/p>\n
What kind of data are we talking about here? It could be sensitive company information \u2013 like your customer database, or credit card information of your customers. It could be your personal photos or even your identity. It could be control of your website. I know of a large HVAC distributor whose website was \u201cstolen\u201d and the hacker demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars to return it.<\/p>\n
So what should you do to protect yourself?<\/p>\n
The security experts we hired to get ourselves back online schooled us on this chilling fact: if a hacker wants to get in, they will find a way.<\/em> Hackers are experts at finding the gaps in your security and exploiting them. The trick is to make it difficult enough for them so that they move on to an easier target. Simple things, like never, ever<\/em> using the same password twice and having a protocol in place to change the passwords on your most sensitive online accounts (i.e. banking, credit cards, etc.) every 30 days are a step in the right direction. Using a password management system (like LastPass) is another step.<\/p>\n