Since early June, one gang has been using a uniquely insidious type of automated attack to inject malicious code on some 20,000 to 30,000 sites, many of them small businesses that rely on the Internet to reach customers, says Wayne Huang, chief technical officer at website security firm Armorize.

Many small business owners don’t realize about how intently profit-minded hackers are striving to wrest control of their websites to run scams, says Maxim Weinstein executive director of the non-profit StopBadware public awareness group.

Source/Read More: USA Today

What is the key to good privacy regulations? Jonathan Zuck joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how to talk with your elected representative about the correct way to deal with online privacy so we don’t stifle innovation.

Source/Listen: The Small Business Advocate

Broadband and information technology are powerful factors in small businesses reaching new markets and increasing productivity and efficiency. However, businesses need cybersecurity tools and tactics to protect themselves, their customers, and their data from growing cyber threats. Here are ten key cybersecurity tips for businesses to protect themselves.

Source/Read More: FCC.gov (PDF document)

Consumer and business information is now worth more than it was in the past, according to security experts. With this increased value, information is the currency for criminals looking to commit fraud across the globe, and small businesses are increasingly targeted for such attacks.

This week, the FCC hosted “Cybersecurity Roundtable: Securing and Empowering Small Businesses With Technology,” as a kickoff to National Small Business Week. The roundtable discussed initiatives to protect small business owners from fraud and cyber attacks.

Source/Read More: Fox Business

When your business is in the startup phase it is almost certain that the founder(s) will know where every single penny is being spent—it’s the nature of financial scarcity. But as your company grows, this becomes unrealistic and could become counterproductive if you neglect sales. You have to establish procedures that ensure timely and accurate payment to vendors. But despite doing everything you should, fraud and mistakes do happen.

Source/Read More: American Express OPEN Forum

The Federal Communications Commission has launched a new website to help small businesses plug a “security gap” that costs them billions annually, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced.

The new website, “Cyber Security for Small Businesses,” is one of several new FCC initiatives designed to help small businesses protect against cyberattacks that Genachowski announced yesterday (May 16) at a roundtable in Washington, D.C., at the start of National Small Business Week.

Source/Read More: Business News Daily

In the last few weeks the news has been full of coverage of one of the biggest data security breaches in history. Between 17-19th April, Sony’s global online PlayStation Network gaming service was compromised, resulting in the theft of the personal details of over 77 million users.

This shocking event has caused the network to be shut down completely ever since then, with so far no fixed date for its return. The data theft has led to widespread criticim of Sony, with talk of possible government investigation from the UK, US and Canada and also multiple lawsuits. There are likely to be far-reaching long-term consequences for Sony in terms of restoring the trust of customers and also the developers that rely on the network to sell their software.

Source/Read More: NASDAQ.com

If you think shredding papers and password changes are enough to protect the privacy of your small business, think again. Geoffrey Arone, the co-founder of SafetyWeb.com, a consumer privacy watchdog group and consumer privacy protection agency, says small-business owners face real security threats every day. He offers advice on the most urgent.

Source/Read More: Business News Daily

A new Javelin Strategy & Research report issued today —“2011 Small Business Owners (SMBO) Identity Fraud Report: How SMBO Fraud Rates Impact FI Revenues and Retention” describes the higher rates of fraud faced by small business owners (SMBOs) today, including unique online security challenges. By sharing effective anti-fraud solutions with SMBOs, FIs and credit card issuers can also create revenue opportunities and reduce client churn. The report outlines the steps SMBOs can take in partnership with financial institutions (FIs) and credit card issuers to combat and prevent online fraud.

SMBOs are an attractive target for fraudsters because they conduct a myriad of transactions that often span both business and personal accounts. As small businesses, they are vulnerable in areas that fraudsters can exploit, namely, the lack of a dedicated IT staff to monitor and protect online operations and less formalized processes around security practices and credit card transactions. This creates opportunities for security breaches and risks for inadvertently releasing personal data.

Source/Read More: BusinessWire

Starting with directory scams:

1. Directory Scams – A perennial problem that has plagued businesses for decades involves deceptive sales for directories. Commonly, the scammer will call the business claiming they want to update the company’s entry in an online directory. The business is later billed hundreds of dollars for listing services they didn’t agree to.

Read the whole press release at dBusinessNews.com.