No Business Too Small to Be Hacked

The 5050 Skatepark, an 8,000-square-foot indoor park on Staten Island for skateboards, BMX bikes and scooters, rejiggered its passwords after being hit with a denial of service attack last fall that made its website unavailable. The skatepark, which generated $100,000 in revenue in 2014, attracts skateboarders from all over the world, said one of its founders, Edward Pollio. Having the website closed down was a blow to revenue, he said.

“The attack caused havoc,” said Mr. Pollio, who still has a day job as a carpenter. “People were asking if we were still in business. Not having a website is like being closed.”

Now, 5050 Skatepark is more strict about its passwords; it follows longstanding recommendations to use different ones for different accounts, like on Instagram and Twitter. And Mr. Pollio, who helped start the business with $50,000 of his own savings, monitors the site every day.

Employee training is also inexpensive, but important. Since most hacking episodes occur when employees click on malicious links or websites, education is the best defense, many security experts said.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/business/smallbusiness/no-business-too-small-to-be-hacked.html