Sorry to break it to you, but if you’re running a startup—even just a small one—you’re up against the same cyber threats as large enterprises. In fact, you might be at more risk than any of those big corporations. Why’s that? Because bad actors know most startups don’t have advanced security measures in place. And that makes them more attractive targets.

Studies show that 43% of cyberattacks focus on small businesses. And yes, most startups fall into that category—so you need to defend yourself. How do you do that? First, let’s discuss what cybersecurity challenges you’re up against, then help you find the right tools and strategies to protect your startup.

Key takeaways

• All startups face serious cybersecurity challenges like data breaches, ransomware, and phishing.
• Startups can improve cybersecurity by using tools like VPNs or ZTNA solutions, firewalls, and threat protection platforms.
• A small startup can boost its cybersecurity for around $2,000, using just the basic tools and strategies.
• NordLayer offers many top cybersecurity solutions in one product, letting startups focus on growth safely.

Why do cybercriminals target startups so much?

It’s pretty simple—cybercriminals assume startups don’t have the time, budget, or resources to build strong cybersecurity defenses. More often than not, they’re right. That’s why startups tend to be much more vulnerable than large enterprises, which usually invest heavily in the latest cybersecurity solutions like endpoint protection, threat detection, and intrusion prevention systems.

And then there’s the payoff. For bad actors, breaking into a startup’s systems can be like discovering a goldmine. Once they get inside, they might:

• Steal your ideas and try to sell them to your competitors
• Put your customer data for sale on the dark web
• Lock up your systems and demand a ransom to unlock them

All of this can earn them a lot of money while putting your funding at risk and slowing down your growth before you even get started.

To sum up, attackers see startups as easy targets with weak security, and they know there’s big money to be made when they successfully attack them.

Cyber threats all startups must face

Like we said in the beginning, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a small startup or a big corporation. In the end, you’re facing the same cybersecurity challenges. And unfortunately, there are many you need to watch out for. Let’s go over the biggest cyber threats you should be aware of.

Ransomware attacks

Okay, picture this: you go to work, open your laptop, and try to pick up where you left off, but… your files won’t open. You try a few times, but nothing works. Next, you get an email saying that if you want your files back, you’ll have to pay—and it won’t be cheap. That’s basically what a ransomware attack looks like: bad actors break into your system, encrypt your files, and demand a big payment to decrypt them.

Even if you decide to pay the ransom, there’s no guarantee that attackers will actually restore your access. And while you wait for them to do so, your startup could be dealing with production downtime, potential loss of intellectual property, exposure of sensitive customer data, or legal issues due to a lack of regulatory compliance. It’s really hard to find a silver lining in this scenario.

Data breaches

Probably one of the biggest nightmares for any business is finding out that its sensitive information has been compromised. Unfortunately, this happens more and more often, with the average cost of a data breach now being almost $5 million.

Therefore, your startup should be prepared for cybercriminals targeting your customer data, intellectual property, or any other sensitive information that could land you in trouble if leaked. Because if they pull it off, the results can be devastating. We’re talking stolen employee identities, costly legal fines for failing to comply with regulations, your operations coming to a grinding halt, and more.

Phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are scams designed to trick people into giving away sensitive information, either personal or related to the company they work for. These attacks often come as fake emails, suspicious text messages, or websites that look like they come from a legitimate source.

Attackers often create a sense of urgency to pressure people into clicking a harmful link, downloading infected files, or entering their login details. If someone falls for it, threat actors can access company systems, steal valuable data, and use it to make money illegally.

Human error

Everyone makes mistakes. But when one mistake hurts the whole company, things get serious fast. Studies show that human error is behind a huge number of cyber-attacks. Some research even suggests that up to 95% of data breaches start with an employee’s mistake.

Sometimes, all it takes is one person clicking on a malicious link in an email they thought was legitimate—and suddenly, it’s a domino effect as system after system gets compromised.

Insider threats

Of course, security incidents caused by employees aren’t always accidental. There are situations where a person on the inside deliberately opens the door to cybercriminals—that’s what’s known as an insider threat.

Why would anyone do something like that? It could be for money, out of spite, or just to cause chaos. It’s like that quote from The Dark Knight: “Some people just want to watch the world burn.” The important part is that insiders can abuse their access rights to steal or leak sensitive data—or even sabotage your startup’s operations.

Weak passwords and credential stuffing

Studies show that people’s password habits are far from being great, with many using weak passwords like “123456” for both personal and work accounts. This suggests that your employees’ passwords might not be as strong as you think.

And it doesn’t stop there. A lot of people reuse passwords across different accounts. Why’s that a problem? Well, if one of their other accounts gets hacked and their credentials are compromised, cybercriminals might try using the same credentials to break into your startup’s systems (it’s called credential stuffing).

As you might guess, many people both use weak passwords and reuse them across accounts. And when that happens, it’s easy to see how your company could be walking a fine line between staying secure and facing a serious cybersecurity threat.

Best practices for improving cybersecurity for startups

Considering all the cyber threats, it can be tough to figure out reliable cybersecurity for startups. The good news? There are plenty of tools and strategies that even small businesses can use to protect themselves effectively. Here are a few things worth adding to your startup’s security game plan.

Adopt a Zero Trust strategy

“Never trust, always verify.” That’s the core idea behind the Zero Trust model. In simple terms, it means you shouldn’t assume anyone or anything trying to access your network is trustworthy—not even people who are part of your company.

Instead, every person and device must be thoroughly verified each time using strict user authentication and real-time network monitoring. Only then can you be sure no outsider sneaks into your digital environment.

Limit access to your applications

The technologies that help bring the Zero Trust model to life are called Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions. They help you control access to specific applications and services, isolating users from resources they don’t actually need.

Someone should only get access to specific apps after their identity, context, and compliance with policies have been carefully checked. This way, you lower the chances of unauthorized access and ensure the right employees can get to the right resources.

Implement a strong password policy

This one’s really simple—if you know that people use weak passwords at work, then you need to prevent that at your startup. There are security measures available today—like NordPass, for example—that allow you to create password policies that you can roll out across the entire company.

Once that’s set up, anyone trying to get away with a weak password will be automatically stopped. That simple step can make a big difference in keeping your startup’s passwords strong.

And if your team starts complaining about having to deal with long, complex passwords, you can get them to use a password manager to generate strong passwords and manage them with ease.

Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Strong passwords are a great start, but they’re not enough to keep your startup safe today. You need extra layers of protection on your business accounts. That way, even if your credentials leak, cybercriminals can’t access your digital systems.

One way to do this is by setting up MFA. This will require anyone trying to log in to provide additional proof of identity beyond just a password. It could be a code sent to their email, a time-based one-time password from an authenticator app, or even a biometric scan, like a fingerprint or face recognition.

Some methods are more secure than others, of course, but the point is simple: with MFA, entering a password is not enough for somebody to get in.

Use firewalls to protect your network

For those who don’t know what firewalls are, they’re cybersecurity solutions that monitor incoming and outgoing internet traffic in real time. Then, based on a preestablished set of rules, they decide what’s safe and what’s not. So, if something suspicious—or downright dangerous—shows up, they block it before it can infiltrate your network.

Additionally, you can use firewalls for network segmentation. That is breaking your company network into smaller blocks called “segments” and controlling how traffic flows between them.

So, for example, you can give certain employees access to just one part of the network, without exposing the rest of it. That way, if a threat slips through, it’s more likely to stay contained in that one area instead of spreading to other parts.

Create an incident response plan

What would you do if someone attacked your company? How would you stop the damage from spreading? Where would you even start fixing what’s already broken? These are the questions you need to answer before anything happens. That’s exactly what an incident response plan is for.

The key is having clear, step-by-step instructions so everyone in your company knows what to do during a cyber-attack. With an incident response plan in place, you can act quickly, minimize damage, and keep your team calm. After all, you don’t want them to panic and add to your troubles.

Update software regularly

Most of the tools and services your startup relies on receive regular updates and patches. These are often rolled out to fix security vulnerabilities and keep up with ever-evolving cyber threats.

For that reason alone, it’s essential that you keep all your systems and devices up to date. Skipping a single update might seem harmless, but it can easily open the door to attackers, so make sure you don’t let it slip by.

Educate your team

And then there’s the human side of things—you need to help your team understand why certain security measures matter, why they should use one app over another, and how a single phishing email can trigger a devastating chain of events.

By investing in cybersecurity training, you can clear up confusion, get everyone aligned, and underscore how one serious incident could put the entire business—and everyone’s jobs—at risk.

How much does it cost to improve a startup’s cybersecurity?

The answer to questions like this is almost always: it depends. The cost of improving your cybersecurity can range from as little as $500 to well over $100,000 per month. “That’s quite a stretch,” you might say—so let’s unpack this a little bit.

Your startup’s size, industry, goals, and business needs all play a role in determining the necessary cybersecurity for startups. Startups running global operations usually invest those large sums of money. They do so to meet multiple compliance frameworks, manage vast amounts of business and customer data, and integrate a wide range of third-party platforms and services. At that level, cybersecurity typically requires a significant investment—at least $30,000 per month, but usually more.

That’s because it often involves a wide array of cybersecurity solutions—from advanced network access controls and threat detection tools, to cyber insurance and endpoint protection services, all the way to penetration testing and custom security audits (which can cost from $15,000 to $25,000).

What would be the cost for a small startup?

If you’re just starting out, you can probably get by with a more basic cybersecurity setup. That would typically consist of antivirus software, a firewall, basic access controls, a password manager, and multi-factor authentication tools.

With all this, and a limited number of licenses, you can likely keep costs under $2,000 a month—or even less, depending on your tools and team size. However, the rule of thumb is that startups should allocate around 5.6% to 20% of their IT budget to cybersecurity programs.

What can NordLayer do to help protect your startup?

NordLayer simplifies cybersecurity for startups by combining several network protection tools into one accessible platform.

With just NordLayer in your setup, your startup can easily follow many of the best practices we’ve discussed in this article, like enforcing Zero Trust, using MFA, segmenting your network, and setting up firewall protection.

From ZTNA-based access controls and a business-grade VPN to threat protection and threat intelligence, NordLayer delivers enterprise-level security to startups at an affordable price—all without the unnecessary complexity, steep learning curve, or heavy IT overhead.

So, if you want your startup to have security measures that can help protect it from many cyber threats, you can get NordLayer and have more time and energy for what we all know you’d rather focus on—your company’s growth.

Rebrandly is a global link management platform that helps businesses create and track branded short URLs. With over 1.3 million users and 3 billion clicks tracked monthly, the company helps businesses manage their links more efficiently, giving them better performance, control, and visibility online.

As the company handles large volumes of customer data, strict compliance and data protection are part of its foundation. They meet the highest security standards, including SOC 2 Type II (Service Organization Control 2), GDPR and HIPAA compliance, giving businesses peace of mind about data protection.

Before NordLayer, Rebrandly managed access through manual IP allowlisting, which was a time-consuming process. They needed a security solution that offered automated access control, AWS cloud integration, and support for SOC 2 Type II compliance. NordLayer’s Site-to-Site, a dedicated IP, and custom DNS streamlined their security and eliminated manual overhead.

The challenge: manual IP allowlisting was a headache

We spoke with Antonio Romano, VP of Engineering at Rebrandly, about the company’s shift to a more scalable, secure access management approach.

Before NordLayer, Rebrandly relied on manual IP allowlisting to protect access to internal resources. However, with a globally distributed team and no dedicated IP, this process became frustrating, especially for a company handling confidential data across billions of links.

The manual process made it more challenging to manage SOC 2 Type II compliance, which requires strict access control and consistent security enforcement.

Rebrandly also needed a solution that integrated easily with their AWS cloud environment and simplified permission management.

How NordLayer helped Rebrandly

Rebrandly’s previous setup lacked the automation and centralized control to maintain secure, compliant operations. As Antonio Romano puts it:

With NordLayer, Rebrandly transitioned from manual IP allowlisting to a dedicated IP setup, enabling secure, policy-based access control. The solution integrated seamlessly with their AWS cloud environment, helping protect internal tools and customer data while supporting SOC 2 Type II compliance.

Benefit 1: Secure access with a Dedicated IP

With NordLayer’s Site-to-Site feature, it was easy to configure a server with a dedicated IP in Rebrandly’s AWS cloud environment for secure access.

The Site-to-Site feature uses encryption to securely route each user’s traffic directly to the right company resource based on their needs without affecting connection speed.

Benefit 2: Tools that help achieve SOC 2 Type II compliance

As a SOC 2 certified company, Rebrandly must meet strict security and audit requirements. NordLayer makes it easy by providing Site-to-Site connections and custom DNS settings that ensure consistent, secure access across their team.

Benefit 3: Time saved through automation

Manual IP management was time-consuming and unscalable. NordLayer replaced it with a streamlined, automated solution, saving valuable engineering hours.

Results: simplified SOC 2 compliance and streamlined IP management

By switching to NordLayer, Rebrandly strengthened its security posture while reducing the time and effort spent managing access.

• Faster workflows
  Automated IP management saves several hours per week.

• Increased network security
  Encrypted data transfers between Rebrandly’s employees using NordLayer’s Site-to-Site, whether in the office or remote, help protect the company’s data. This not only protects sensitive customer data but also allows Rebrandly to meet SOC 2 Type II requirements for secure access and data handling.

Why NordLayer works for Rebrandly

Rebrandly uses NordLayer’s Site-to-Site feature to securely connect its internal network to the AWS cloud infrastructure. The setup includes a Virtual Private Gateway and a Dedicated IP, allowing the team to protect sensitive data without compromising performance.

NordLayer also helped Rebrandly save time by eliminating manual IP management. It also supports the company’s SOC 2 Type II compliance efforts, helping them build client trust.

Cybersecurity tips from Rebrandly

Conclusion

Rebrandly’s experience with NordLayer proves you don’t need a large team to have strong, reliable security. By automating access control and making SOC 2 compliance easier, NordLayer helped Rebrandly maintain its strong security posture, save time, and keep things running smoothly.

If your business needs simple, scalable security that works, NordLayer is a good place to start. Contact our sales team to book a demo and find out more.