Experts Warn: Small Businesses Are Prime Targets of Cyber Crimes in the AI Era
October 26, 2025 — In an era where digital transformation is no longer optional, small businesses and startups are finding themselves increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks. This was the central message delivered at ShePower Forum’s panel discussion titled “How to Safeguard Your Business from Cyber Attacks,” held on Saturday evening.
Founder Sets the Stage for Critical Conversation
The event opened with a welcome message from Dr. Chandra Vadhana R.,(Dr.CeeVee) founder of SheSight Global, who introduced the speakers and thanked the event sponsors. Dr. CeeVee outlined the vision behind the ShePower Forum series, emphasizing the importance of creating spaces where women entrepreneurs and business leaders can access expert guidance on contemporary challenges.
“We are building a collective movement to enable and promote women’s leadership and entrepreneurship across the globe,” Dr. CeeVee stated in her opening remarks, highlighting SheSight Global’s mission to create a network of one million women worldwide.
She traced her journey from founding Prayana Labs, which became the first and only UN-awarded Indian organization for women empowerment in 2018, to launching SheSight magazine and the ShePower Club as platforms for global impact.
Experts Warn: Small Businesses Are Prime Targets
The virtual event, organized by SheSight Global, brought together cybersecurity and communications experts to address the misconception that small companies are too insignificant to attract cybercriminals.
“Small companies are more vulnerable because they think ‘we are a very small company, who is going to attack?'” said Muralikrishnan Chinnadurai, an AI expert and media entrepreneur. “But any transaction happening there—any data transaction, any financial transaction—makes them vulnerable.”
Chinnadurai, who is recognized as an authority on AI and deepfake technology with commentary featured on BBC, Voice of America, and Al Jazeera, emphasized that startups often treat security as an afterthought rather than a priority.
The Human Cost of Cyber Attacks
Simple Mishra, a communications professional and Google News Initiative-certified fact-checking trainer, brought a personal dimension to the discussion by sharing her own experience as a victim of identity theft and digital arrest scam.
“If I, being a data trainer and fact-checking trainer, having taken all these modules, can fall for it, then anybody can become a victim,” Mishra told the audience, underscoring that even trained professionals are not immune to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.
Mishra outlined a five-step response plan for Indian businesses facing cyber attacks, starting with reporting to India’s cybercrime helpline at 1930, followed by filing complaints with local police and specialized cyber police stations, and utilizing government apps like Sanchar Saathi.
AI: A Double-Edged Sword
The panel addressed growing concerns about artificial intelligence’s role in both perpetrating and preventing cyber attacks.
Chinnadurai cited a recent case where a Chief Financial Officer transferred millions to scammers after a Zoom call that appeared to include legitimate company employees—all of whom were AI-generated deepfakes. “Only the victim was the original person; all others were deepfakes. But all the identities were from the company’s employees,” he explained.
Despite these threats, both panelists agreed that AI should augment rather than replace human intelligence in cybersecurity measures.
“Please integrate artificial intelligence with humans. Don’t replace humans with artificial intelligence,” Mishra urged business owners.
Key Recommendations for Business Protection
The experts provided practical guidance for startups and small businesses:
Immediate Actions:
- Implement role-based access management
- Create comprehensive data backups in both digital and non-digital formats
- Conduct periodic security training and phishing simulations
- Update security hardware every three years
Budget Considerations: Chinnadurai noted that companies with 1-50 employees don’t need expensive security solutions but should prioritize awareness and basic protocols: “Basic training on what cyber attacks can happen is essential.”
Technical Outages vs. Cyber Attacks
The discussion also clarified common misconceptions about system failures. Chinnadurai explained that high-profile incidents like the CrowdStrike outage affecting Microsoft systems in 2024 was not a cyber attack but a malfunctioning security patch rollout.
“We need to differentiate between malfunctioning and cyber attacks,” he said, noting that media’s limited understanding of technology often leads to misreporting such incidents.
International Guidelines Still Lacking
When asked about international cybersecurity regulations, Mishra pointed out that while guidelines exist, they remain largely non-binding. She referenced recent cases where Indian celebrities like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan approached the Bombay High Court over AI-generated content, introducing the concept of “personality rights.”
Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “godfather of artificial intelligence,” has also urged global leaders to establish legally binding AI regulations, though none currently exist.
Looking to the Future
Chinnadurai outlined what he sees as the cybersecurity industry’s critical priorities: “Producing talents in this field, educating companies and common people about cyber safety, and ensuring data privacy as AI continues to evolve.”
Data privacy is particularly relevant in an era where more and more businesses entrust their content and analysis to AI. On the one hand, it’s quick and easy to paste entire datasets into LLMs in exchange for fast content production. But customers’ data could get exposed and end up readily accessible online. While people can find ways to remove exposed data, ultimately the responsibility lies with companies as they continue to use AI.
He emphasized that the field needs more trained professionals, comparing the current situation to the Industrial Revolution of 1924 when similar fears about automation emerged. “We need to upskill ourselves. Subject matter experts will not be replaced by machines,” he assured.
Expert Moderation Drives Meaningful Discussion
The session was moderated by Dr. Pragya Kaushik, a Media Educator and Digital Safety Mentor, who skillfully guided the conversation while ensuring participant questions were addressed. Her background in media literacy and mass communication brought structure and clarity to the technical discussion.
The event drew engaged participation from professionals including Princi Jain, an NLP coach and former journalist, and Siba Mishra, who raised concerns about quantum computing’s potential to compromise current encryption methods.
Community Response
Participants expressed appreciation for the practical, accessible approach to a complex topic. The forum provided entrepreneurs with actionable steps while acknowledging that complete security remains an aspirational goal rather than an achievable certainty.
Gratitude and Looking Ahead
In her closing remarks, Dr. Kaushik thanked Dr. Chandra Vadhana R. for her vision in creating these important forums, as well as the event sponsors whose support makes these educational initiatives possible. She also expressed gratitude to both panelists for sharing their expertise and to participants for their thoughtful engagement.
Next Event Announced
SheSight Global announced that another ShePower Forum session will be held in November, continuing the organization’s mission to build a network of one million women entrepreneurs and leaders globally. Details will be announced soon on SheSight Global’s platforms.
Interested business owners and professionals can connect with the experts for consultations and stay updated through SheSight magazine and the ShePower Club.
Contact Information: SheSight Global – Stories of Her, By Her, For Everyone
For media inquiries/event partnerships : [email protected]
This report is based on the panel discussion “How to Safeguard Your Business from Cyber Attacks” held on October 26, 2025, as part of the ShePower Forum series.
