Every week, we talk to business owners who know they need better cybersecurity but aren’t sure where they’re going wrong. The good news? Most gaps aren’t the result of sophisticated attacks or expensive oversights. They’re simple, fixable mistakes that happen when security becomes an afterthought instead of a business practice.

Here are the most common cybersecurity mistakes we see—and more importantly, how to fix them.

1. Treating Antivirus as a Complete Security Strategy

The Mistake:
Installing antivirus software and assuming you’re protected.

Why It’s a Problem:
Antivirus is one layer of defense—and increasingly, not even the most important one. Modern threats like phishing, credential theft, ransomware, and insider risks don’t always trigger antivirus alerts. If your entire security strategy is “we have antivirus,” you’re operating with a false sense of security.

What to Do Instead:
Think in layers. Antivirus is part of the picture, but you also need strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, regular backups, employee training, and access controls. Security isn’t a product you install once—it’s a set of practices you maintain.

2. Using Weak or Reused Passwords Across Systems

The Mistake:
Allowing employees to use simple passwords like “Password123” or reusing the same password across multiple accounts.

Why It’s a Problem:
Password breaches happen constantly. If an employee uses the same password for your accounting software that they use for a compromised shopping site, attackers can pivot directly into your business systems. Weak passwords can be cracked in seconds.

What to Do Instead:
Require strong, unique passwords for every system. Better yet, implement a password manager so employees don’t have to remember dozens of complex passwords. And wherever possible, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)—even a simple text message code dramatically reduces your risk.

3. Skipping Software Updates and Patches

The Mistake:
Postponing updates indefinitely because “they’re annoying” or “we’re too busy.”

Why It’s a Problem:
Software updates often include critical security patches that fix known vulnerabilities. When you delay updates, you’re leaving doors open that attackers already know how to exploit. Many high-profile breaches happen because organizations didn’t apply patches for vulnerabilities that were publicly disclosed weeks or months earlier.

What to Do Instead:
Enable automatic updates wherever possible, especially for operating systems, browsers, and security software. For business-critical applications where you need more control, establish a regular patching schedule—monthly at minimum. Don’t wait until something breaks.

4. Not Having a Backup Strategy (or Not Testing Backups)

The Mistake:
Either skipping backups entirely or backing up data without ever verifying that you can actually restore it.

Why It’s a Problem:
Ransomware, hardware failure, human error, and natural disasters can all destroy your data. If you don’t have reliable backups, a single incident can end your business. And here’s the kicker: having backups that don’t work is almost as bad as having no backups at all.

What to Do Instead:
Follow the 3-2-1 rule: keep three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one copy offsite or in the cloud. More importantly, test your backups regularly. Can you actually restore files? How long does it take? Do employees know the process? If you haven’t tested it, you don’t really have a backup.

5. Giving Everyone Admin Access

The Mistake:
Making every employee an administrator on their computer or giving broad access to sensitive systems “to make things easier.”

Why It’s a Problem:
Admin access gives users—and any malware that infects their machine—the ability to install software, change settings, and access sensitive data. If an attacker compromises an admin account, they can move laterally through your entire network. The same goes for cloud systems and applications: giving everyone access to everything creates unnecessary risk.

What to Do Instead:
Follow the principle of least privilege: people should have access only to the systems and data they need to do their job. Use standard user accounts for daily work, and reserve admin access for IT tasks. Regularly review who has access to what, and remove permissions when people change roles or leave the company.

6. Ignoring Employee Training

The Mistake:
Assuming employees will “just know” how to spot phishing emails or handle sensitive data securely.

Why It’s a Problem:
Your employees are your first line of defense—and often the first target. Attackers know that tricking a person is often easier than breaking through technical defenses. One clicked link, one opened attachment, or one shared password can bypass all your other security measures.

What to Do Instead:
Conduct regular, practical security awareness training. Don’t just lecture—show real examples of phishing emails, explain what to look for, and create clear reporting processes. Make it easy for employees to ask questions without fear of judgment. Security works best when everyone understands their role in it.

7. Not Having an Incident Response Plan

The Mistake:
Figuring out what to do during a security incident, while the incident is happening.

Why It’s a Problem:
When a breach or attack occurs, confusion and panic slow your response. Who do you call? What systems do you shut down? How do you communicate with customers? What are your legal obligations? Making these decisions under pressure leads to mistakes that make the situation worse.

What to Do Instead:
Develop a simple incident response plan before you need it. Document key contacts (internal team, IT provider, legal counsel, cyber insurance), outline basic response steps, and define roles and responsibilities. You don’t need a 50-page document—just a clear playbook that people can follow when things go wrong. Then review and update it annually.

8. Thinking “We’re Too Small to Be Targeted”

The Mistake:
Believing that attackers only go after large corporations and that your small business isn’t interesting enough to hack.

Why It’s a Problem:
Small businesses are actually attractive targets precisely because they often have weaker defenses. Attackers use automated tools that scan for vulnerabilities across thousands of organizations at once—they’re not hand-picking targets based on size. And if you handle customer data, connect to larger partners, or process payments, you’re absolutely a target.

What to Do Instead:
Take security seriously regardless of your size. You don’t need an enterprise-level security budget, but you do need to cover the fundamentals: strong authentication, regular backups, updated software, employee training, and documented policies. Good security is about consistent practices, not expensive tools.

9. Not Understanding What Compliance Actually Requires

The Mistake:
Assuming compliance is just about checking boxes or thinking you’re compliant because you signed a contract saying you’d follow certain rules.

Why It’s a Problem:
Compliance frameworks like CMMC, NIST, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS exist for a reason—they’re roadmaps to better security. But saying you’re compliant and actually implementing the required controls are two very different things. When audits or incidents happen, “I thought we were fine” won’t protect you.

What to Do Instead:
Understand what your compliance obligations actually mean in practice. If you’re required to follow NIST 800-171 or CMMC, don’t just read the requirements—implement the controls and document what you’re doing. If you’re not sure where to start, get help from someone who does this work regularly. Real compliance isn’t about paperwork; it’s about demonstrable security practices.

10. Failing to Document Anything

The Mistake:
Keeping security policies, procedures, and decisions in people’s heads instead of writing them down.

Why It’s a Problem:
When security practices aren’t documented, they’re inconsistent. Different people do things differently. New employees don’t know the rules. And when something goes wrong, you can’t prove what you were supposed to be doing or what actually happened. For compliance purposes, “undocumented” is the same as “not done.”

What to Do Instead:
Write down your key security policies and procedures. This doesn’t have to be complicated—start with the basics: password requirements, acceptable use policies, data handling procedures, and incident response steps. Keep documentation simple and accessible so people actually use it. Update it when processes change. Documentation protects you, your employees, and your business.

The Bottom Line

These mistakes are common, but they’re not inevitable. The difference between organizations that get breached and those that don’t often comes down to these fundamentals—not cutting-edge technology or massive security budgets.

Security doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with one area, fix it, and move to the next. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s consistent improvement and defensible practices.

If you’re not sure where your gaps are, that’s exactly where an assessment starts. Understanding what you’re doing right—and what needs attention—is the first step toward security that actually works in the real world.

Need help identifying where to start? Brookmore Solutions specializes in practical cybersecurity assessments for small and mid-sized businesses. We’ll help you understand your risks and build a plan that fits your operations and budget. Contact us to schedule a consultation.

If you’ve ever researched cybersecurity for your business, you’ve probably encountered some version of this message: “Hackers are everywhere. Your business is under constant attack. One mistake will destroy everything. Act now or face devastating consequences.”

It’s exhausting. And worse, it’s counterproductive.

Fear-based cybersecurity advice is everywhere—in marketing emails, sales pitches, conference presentations, and industry publications. It’s designed to create urgency, but what it actually creates is paralysis, poor decision-making, and a fundamental misunderstanding of how security actually works.

Here’s why the fear-driven approach backfires, and what works better.

Fear Creates Paralysis, Not Action

The Problem:
When every threat sounds catastrophic and every vulnerability sounds existential, business owners freeze. If everything is urgent, nothing is urgent. The sheer volume of warnings makes it impossible to know where to start, so many businesses don’t start at all.

What Happens:
Decision-makers get overwhelmed, delay action indefinitely, or throw money at the wrong solutions because they’re trying to address everything at once. Fear doesn’t lead to strategic thinking—it leads to panic buying and reactive spending.

What Works Better:
Risk-based decision-making. Not every threat is equally likely or equally damaging to your specific business. Good cybersecurity starts with understanding what you’re actually trying to protect, what the realistic threats are, and what controls make the most sense for your operations and budget. Prioritization beats panic every time.

Fear Obscures Real Risk

The Problem:
Fear-based messaging treats all threats as equally terrifying, which makes it impossible to distinguish between real risks and theoretical ones. A zero-day exploit that requires physical access to your network gets the same urgent treatment as a phishing email—even though one is far more likely than the other.

What Happens:
Resources get misallocated. Companies invest in expensive tools to defend against sophisticated nation-state attacks while leaving basic gaps wide open—weak passwords, missing backups, unpatched software. It’s like buying a titanium safe but leaving the front door unlocked.

What Works Better:
Honest risk assessment. Most small and mid-sized businesses face predictable, preventable threats: phishing, weak passwords, unpatched software, and insider mistakes. Addressing these fundamentals will protect you from 90% of actual attacks. Save the advanced threat modeling for when your basics are solid.

Fear Undermines Trust in Security Professionals

The Problem:
When cybersecurity vendors and consultants rely on scare tactics to drive sales, they erode trust. Business owners start to wonder: “Is this person trying to help me, or are they exaggerating to close a deal?”

What Happens:
Decision-makers become skeptical of all security advice, even when it’s legitimate. They tune out warnings, delay necessary investments, or second-guess every recommendation. The boy-who-cried-wolf effect is real, and it makes everyone less safe.

What Works Better:
Transparent, evidence-based communication. Good security professionals explain what the actual risks are, why they matter to your specific business, and what reasonable steps you can take. They don’t need to manufacture urgency—the real risks are compelling enough when explained clearly and honestly.

Fear Leads to Compliance Theater

The Problem:
When businesses are scared into action, they often focus on looking compliant rather than being secure. They check boxes, sign documents, and install tools without understanding what problems those tools are supposed to solve.

What Happens:
Organizations end up with policies that no one follows, security tools that no one configures properly, and compliance certifications that don’t reflect actual security posture. This is “security theater”—visible action that doesn’t meaningfully reduce risk.

What Works Better:
Focusing on outcomes, not optics. The goal isn’t to have impressive-sounding policies or a long list of security tools. The goal is to reduce your actual risk in ways that work for your business. That means implementing controls you can maintain, documenting practices people actually follow, and measuring what matters—not what looks good in a marketing deck.

Fear Ignores the Human Element

The Problem:
Fear-driven security messaging often blames employees: “Your people are your weakest link.” “One click can destroy your company.” “Insider threats are everywhere.” This creates a culture of suspicion and blame rather than collaboration and learning.

What Happens:
Employees become afraid to report suspicious emails, ask questions, or admit mistakes—which are exactly the behaviors you need to encourage. Security becomes something that’s done to people rather than with them. Mistakes get hidden instead of addressed, and small problems become big ones.

What Works Better:
Treating security as a shared responsibility. Your employees aren’t the enemy—they’re your first line of defense. When you create a culture where people feel safe asking questions, reporting concerns, and learning from mistakes, security improves dramatically. Training should empower, not terrify.

Fear Obscures the Real Value of Cybersecurity

The Problem:
When security is sold through fear, it’s positioned as a cost, a burden, or a way to avoid disaster. The message becomes: “Spend money on this or something bad will happen.”

What Happens:
Security becomes a grudge purchase, minimized whenever possible. Leaders view it as a necessary evil rather than a business enabler. Investments get delayed, cut, or eliminated when budgets tighten—because the value proposition was never about building something, only avoiding loss.

What Works Better:
Framing security as a foundation for business growth. Good cybersecurity enables you to win contracts that require compliance, build customer trust, operate more efficiently, and scale confidently. It’s not just about avoiding disaster—it’s about creating resilience, reliability, and competitive advantage. That’s a much stronger value proposition than fear.

What Good Cybersecurity Communication Looks Like

Here’s what we believe effective cybersecurity guidance should do:

Acknowledge real risks without exaggeration. Threats exist, but they’re manageable. Be honest about what’s likely, what’s serious, and what’s statistically rare.

Provide context. Explain why something matters to the specific business you’re talking to. Generic warnings aren’t helpful—tailored guidance is.

Offer actionable next steps. Don’t just point out problems. Give people clear, realistic actions they can take to improve their security posture.

Prioritize based on impact. Not everything needs to happen immediately. Help people understand what to tackle first, second, and third.

Build confidence, not anxiety. Security is a process, not a state of perfection. Progress is more valuable than panic.

Encourage questions. If someone doesn’t understand something, that’s a teaching opportunity, not a failing on their part.

The Bottom Line

Fear might generate short-term urgency, but it doesn’t create long-term security. It leads to bad decisions, wasted resources, and a culture where security feels like an endless burden rather than a business strength.

Effective cybersecurity isn’t about being scared into action. It’s about understanding your risks, making informed decisions, and building practices that work in the real world. That requires honesty, clarity, and a partner who’s more interested in helping you succeed than in scaring you into signing a contract.

Security should feel manageable because it is. You don’t need to defend against every theoretical threat in the universe. You need to address the real risks your business faces, in ways that fit your operations and budget. That’s not scary—it’s strategic.

At Brookmore Solutions, we believe in security that works in the real world—no scare tactics, no buzzwords, and no one-size-fits-all templates. If you’re looking for straightforward, practical guidance on improving your cybersecurity posture, we’d be happy to talk.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapor around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendor of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine.

I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapor around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapor around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me, that it might be the mirror of my soul, as my soul is the mirror of the infinite God!

O my friend — but it is too much for my strength — I sink under the weight of the splendor of these visions! A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine.

I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapor around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me: when I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel the presence of the Almighty, who formed us in his own image, and the breath of that universal love which bears and sustains us, as it floats around us in an eternity of bliss; and then, my friend, when darkness overspreads my eyes, and heaven and earth seem to dwell in my soul and absorb its power, like the form of a beloved mistress, then I often think with longing, Oh, would I could describe these conceptions, could impress upon paper all that is living so full and warm within me.