**Startups, Listen Up: Proton Says You're Not "Too Small" to Be Hacked**
As a startup founder, it's easy to assume that your business is too small, too new, or too obscure to attract the attention of cybercriminals. But according to a new report from Swiss privacy giant Proton, you'd be wrong.
The report, which analyzed data from Proton's Data Breach Observatory, reveals that 794 significant breaches occurred in 2025 alone, exposing a staggering 306.1 million records. While massive corporations often dominate the headlines, Proton found that 71% of breaches actually affected small- and medium-sized businesses.
The "too small to hack" myth is dead, and cybercriminals are looking for the path of least resistance. They're increasingly targeting small businesses that hold valuable intellectual property (IP) but lack the dedicated security teams of a Global 500 enterprise.
Cybersecurity expert Patricia Egger, Head of Security at Proton, explains: "In startup circles, 'speed wins,' and security can be seen as a hindrance to that speed. This can result in missing crucial steps when securing a business."
The report highlights that access is often the first target, with nearly half (49%) of breaches tracked involving compromised passwords. For a small team using shared logins over Slack or saving credentials in browsers, a single slip-up can hand the keys to the entire kingdom to a threat actor.
Proton's report cites sobering examples from 2025, including PhoneMondo, a five-person team in Germany that saw over 10.5 million records exposed, and Tracelo, a US-based tracking app that leaked 1.4 million records. In both cases, the size of the company didn't protect the massive amount of customer data they held.
As most SMBs aren't set up to survive a major cyberattack, the consequences can be fatal for a young company. To combat this, Proton is urging startups to "build in private," an initiative that pushes founders to embed privacy into their operations from day one, rather than bolting it on after a breach occurs.
Raphael Auphan, COO of Proton, emphasizes the importance of prioritizing security: "I cannot stress enough to founders and business owners the importance of pausing to make the conscious choice to 'build in private.'"
**Three Critical Controls to Stop You from Becoming a Statistic in 2026**
Proton's report suggests that small businesses can take three critical steps to protect themselves:
- Password Management:** Make sure to use strong, unique passwords for all team members and keep them safe using a password manager.
- Access Controls:** Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and limit access to sensitive data to only those who need it.
- Regular Security Audits:** Conduct regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities and address them before they can be exploited by hackers.
By taking these steps, small businesses can reduce their risk of becoming a statistic in 2026. Don't wait until it's too late – start building in private today.
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