RSA Conference 2025 Recap: 5 Cybersecurity Takeaways Every SMB Owner Needs to Hear

By Joyce Martinez Hylender, CPA

Founder, Hylender Solutions, CPA

Last week, I attended RSA Conference 2025, the biggest stage in cybersecurity, to answer one question:

What do small and medium-sized business owners actually need to know to protect themselves right now?

The answer came in loud and clear.

SMBs are no longer collateral damage in cyberattacks. They’re the bullseye.

And the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) backed it up with data that should make every business owner stop and take notice:

• 88% of breaches impacting SMBs involved ransomware

• The median ransom demand? $115,000

• Over 60% of attacks started with stolen or misused credentials

• SMBs are 3x more likely to face credential-based attacks than large enterprises

  
  

Here’s the hard truth:

Small doesn’t mean safe. It means vulnerable.

But there’s good news, there are practical, affordable ways to reduce your risk. Here are the top five takeaways I brought home from RSA that every SMB leader needs to act on today. SMB cybersecurity takeaways

1. Credential Misuse Is Still the #1 Way In SMB cybersecurity takeaways

You don’t need a Hollywood hacker to take down your business. Most breaches happen because of:

• Weak or reused passwords

• Forgotten accounts from former employees

• Staff clicking on convincing phishing emails

  
  

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across every system. Regularly audit user access, especially after employee departures. Train your team on how to spot phishing.

2. AI & Automation Can Help, Or Hurt

AI is revolutionizing how we work, but RSA made one thing clear: If you're adopting AI without cybersecurity in place, you're building faster, but weaker.

Pro tip: Some vendors are already doing it right. For instance, Clio Duo hosts its AI on a dedicated server outside of Microsoft’s cloud, meaning your data stays yours. Others, like Qanapi, provide encryption layers for added security even when using Google or Microsoft tools.

• Choose vendors who bake in security from day one

• Use endpoint protection like Bitdefender, and know who’s responsible for what in your stack

  
  

3. Third-Party Tools = Third-Party Risk

Most SMBs use dozens of external tools for payments, HR, communication, accounting, you name it. Every single one adds risk.

Don’t assume a platform is secure just because it’s popular.

Ask tough questions:

• Are they SOC 2 compliant?

• How do they handle encryption and user access?

• What’s their plan for a ransomware attack?

  
  

4. Cybersecurity Is Everyone’s Job Now

Gone are the days when cybersecurity lived solely in IT.

At RSA, I heard over and over again: Your finance, HR, and operations teams are often your first line of defense.

• Accounting can catch fraudulent wire transfers

• HR can flag suspicious login behavior

• Ops knows when something doesn’t add up

  
  

Build a security-first culture, train every department, not just tech.

5. Delaying Cybersecurity Costs More Later

If there was one message that came through loud and clear at RSA, it was this:

Waiting until after an incident is the most expensive decision you can make.

The cost?

• Sky-high recovery fees

• Reputational damage

• Loss of customer trust

• Weeks (or months) of business disruption

  
  

Start small, but start now. You don’t need a six-figure security budget, just a serious plan.

In Summary

Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue, it’s a business survival issue.

RSA 2025 made one thing clear:

No business is too small to be a target. And no step is too small to matter.

You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to stop ignoring the risk.

Want help reviewing your vendor stack, tightening your access controls, or building a basic cyber-resilience plan?

Let’s talk.

We help businesses take smart, affordable steps toward serious security, without the overwhelm.

#RSA2025 #VerizonDBIR #BusinessSecurity #CyberResilience #CPAForSMBs #CyberRisk #HylenderSolutions #JoyceSays #GolfmomCPA