Let’s be honest for a second. When people talk about “corporate cybersecurity”, most managers picture a dark room, a hoodie, green code scrolling on a screen. Very Hollywood. Reality is way less sexy… and way more dangerous. Most security breaches don’t come from genius hackers. They come from small, boring mistakes. The kind nobody wants to deal with on a Monday morning.
I’ve seen it in open-space offices in Paris, tiny warehouses outside Lyon, even remote teams working from cafés in Lisbon. Same story every time. The tech is there, the intentions are good… but the basics are off. And that’s where things go wrong, fast.
In fact, a lot of companies only start taking security seriously after something breaks. A ransomware note on a screen. A client calling because their data is floating somewhere it shouldn’t. Too late. That’s usually when they start googling agencies, tools, audits… and stumble across sites like https://weboplus.com while trying to understand what went wrong and how to clean the mess.
So let’s rewind. Here are the most common cybersecurity mistakes I keep seeing in companies. And more importantly : how to fix them without losing your sanity.
Thinking “we’re too small to be a target”
This one drives me crazy. Truly.
“I run a 12-person company, who would want to hack us ?”
Short answer : everyone.
Attackers don’t care about your brand size. They care about weak doors. Small businesses are often easier to break into. Fewer controls, outdated systems, no dedicated IT person. That’s gold for automated attacks.
How to fix it :
Stop thinking in terms of “size” and start thinking in terms of “exposure”. If you have emails, client data, invoices, access to a bank account… you’re a target. Period. Even basic protections (firewalls, updates, access rules) already change the game.
Weak passwords… or worse, shared passwords
I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not.
“Admin123”, “Company2022!”, post-it notes stuck under keyboards. I’ve seen all of it. Once, in a logistics office, the Wi-Fi password was written on a whiteboard next to the coffee machine. No joke.
Shared passwords are even worse. When five people use the same login, nobody knows who did what. And when one leaves the company ? The password stays. Nightmare.
How to fix it :
Use a password manager. Seriously. It’s not complicated anymore. Force strong, unique passwords and activate multi-factor authentication wherever possible. It feels annoying at first. After two days, nobody complains anymore.
Not updating systems because “it still works”
Ah yes. The famous sentence.
“Don’t touch it, it works.”
Sure. Until it doesn’t. Outdated systems are one of the biggest entry points for attacks. Old Windows versions, forgotten plugins, unpatched software running quietly in the background… attackers love that stuff.
How to fix it :
Make updates non-negotiable. Schedule them. Automate them if possible. Test critical updates, yes, but don’t postpone everything for six months. Security patches exist for a reason. Ignoring them is basically leaving your door unlocked at night.
No backups (or backups nobody ever tested)
This one hurts, because it’s so avoidable.
Companies say they have backups. Then a ransomware hits. Suddenly, the backup is three months old. Or corrupted. Or stored on the same server that just got encrypted. Oops.
I once talked to a business owner who said, very calmly : “We thought backups were optional.” That sentence still haunts me.
How to fix it :
Follow the 3-2-1 rule. Three copies of your data. Two different media. One off-site. And test your backups. Really test them. Restoring a file once a month is boring, yes. But way less boring than rebuilding your company from scratch.
Employees left alone with zero security awareness
People aren’t stupid. They’re just busy.
Phishing emails today are scary good. Perfect language, real logos, urgent tone. One click. One attachment. That’s all it takes. And no, antivirus alone won’t save you.
Blaming employees after an incident is pointless. If they were never trained, that’s on the company.
How to fix it :
Short, regular awareness sessions. Real examples. No jargon. Explain what a phishing email looks like today, not ten years ago. Encourage people to ask, to doubt, to report weird stuff without fear of being judged. Culture beats tools, every time.
Believing security is a one-time project
This is maybe the most subtle mistake.
“We did a security audit last year, we’re good.”
No. You were good last year.
New employees, new software, remote work, cloud tools, SaaS everywhere… the attack surface changes constantly. Security is not a checkbox. It’s a process.
How to fix it :
Review your security regularly. At least once a year, ideally more. Update access rights, remove unused accounts, reassess risks. You don’t need paranoia. Just consistency.
So… where do you start ?
If you’re reading this and thinking “wow, we do at least three of these”… relax. You’re not alone. Most companies do.
Start small. Passwords. Updates. Backups. Awareness. These four pillars already eliminate a huge percentage of risks. You don’t need military-grade security. You need common sense, applied consistently.
And ask yourself one simple question :
If something breaks tomorrow, do we know exactly what to do ?
If the answer is “uh… maybe ?”, then yeah, it’s probably time to take cybersecurity seriously. Before the hoodie guy shows up for real.