New “Cyber Safe” training from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center equips businesses to recognize and thwart cyber threats.

ASBTDC collaborated with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Cyber Arena to create the Cyber Safe: Cybersecurity for Small Business online training course.

The free, on-demand course is broken into short modules covering cybersecurity basics, such as access control, passwords, physical security, and network protection. The six modules are eight to 25 minutes in length and can be completed in any order.

As part of the training, businesses have access to “Security Challenges,” hands-on workouts with the UA Little Rock Cyber Arena. The interactive challenges allow small business owners and employees to practice their cyber hygiene skills, such as protecting confidential files.

The training complies with the federal government’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) cyber standards, helping small businesses compete for federal contracts requiring cyber certification.

Malware, viruses, ransomware, and phishing are the most common types of cyber attacks on small businesses, according to the Small Business Administration. The surge in online activity, e-commerce, and remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic began puts more small companies at risk.

“Our goal is to help small businesses protect themselves and their customers,” said ASBTDC State Director Laura Fine. “Cyber crimes are costly, and businesses need to have cybersecurity safeguards in place just like they have locks on their doors and other physical security measures. In fact, the Cyber Safe training shows that door locks are one element of cybersecurity.”

Go to asbtdc.org/cyber-safe to launch the Cyber Safe training.