The Myth: “Cybercriminals Only Go After Big Cities or Big Companies”

There’s a persistent and dangerous belief circulating among business owners in rural and small-town America: that hackers only target Fortune 500 companies or tech hubs like New York or Silicon Valley.

But here’s the truth—size doesn’t protect you. In fact, it can make you more vulnerable.

West Virginia: A Growing Target

West Virginia’s small businesses are increasingly falling into the crosshairs of cybercriminals for one key reason: they assume they’re not a target—and they act accordingly.

Consider these facts:

• Rural regions are often underprotected. Many businesses here lack dedicated IT teams or enterprise-level security solutions.

• Phishing scams and ransomware don’t care about geography. They're automated, indiscriminate, and easy to deploy across thousands of targets at once.

• In 2024, there were over 300 documented cyberattacks targeting small government offices and healthcare providers across Appalachia.

If your systems are online, you're on the radar.

Why Hackers Love Small Businesses

Hackers are opportunists. Here’s why West Virginia businesses are appealing:

• Weaker defenses: Many small businesses lack advanced firewalls, endpoint protection, or employee training.

• Valuable data: Customer records, payment info, even access credentials—these are gold to cybercriminals.

• Slow incident response: Without a plan in place, small teams often don’t detect or react until the damage is done.

Real Talk: A Breach Can Devastate Your Business

According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. Even a modest ransomware event can:

• Freeze operations for days or weeks

• Destroy customer trust

• Trigger compliance penalties

And for small businesses, these consequences can be fatal.

What You Can Do Right Now

At Forge Cybersecurity, we help small and midsize businesses across West Virginia build practical, affordable defenses. You don’t need a six-figure IT budget to stay safe—you need the right strategy.

Start with these actions:

✅ Run a professional cybersecurity risk assessment
✅ Train your team to recognize phishing and social engineering
✅ Use multi-factor authentication on everything
✅ Back up your data regularly and securely
✅ Have an incident response plan in writing

Final Word: Small Is Not Safe. But Prepared Is.

Don’t wait until your company is the next cautionary tale.

👉 Forge Cybersecurity is based right here in Appalachia. We know the terrain, and we know how to protect it.