How Small Targets Evade Big Cybercrime

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Recent research confirms that cybersecurity ranks among the top three risks for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Oct 21, 2025

Cybersecurity

Recent research confirms that cybersecurity ranks among the top three risks for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) along with economic concerns like inflation.

Yet, current studies also indicate as many as two of every three SMB operations remain dangerously unprepared for cyber attacks due to what tech pundits dub the “small target illusion.” This misguided mentality holds that malefactors mostly aim for large corporations because the SMB market isn’t substantial enough for lucrative cybercrime.

These three facts refute this thinking:

According to Small Business Administration surveys, nine of 10 U.S. companies qualify as “small” businesses.
In recent years, researchers have revealed that nearly half of all cyber assaults do indeed target SMBs.
Per cyber analysts, at least half of today’s social engineering techniques involve automation technology like artificial intelligence (AI), which makes popular methods like ransomware increasingly cost-effective.

That’s why, as a premier IT managed services provider (MSP), we are supported by a virtual chief information officer (vCIO), who can provide insights into policies, practices and processes supporting cybersecurity. In the past, only large enterprises had the financial resources for a dedicated CIO position. But issues like the escalating use of AI cybercrooks have made this type of approach requisite for companies of any type or size.

Furthermore, the very same AI-driven technologies that benefit cybercriminals are making services like vCIO more cost-effective for SMBs. Intrigued? Let’s talk.