Norton has expanded its small business protection options to address rising digital threats including data breaches, account takeovers, and scams.
The latest changes to Norton Small Business include the introduction of new Dark Web Monitoring and Social Media Monitoring features, aimed at assisting business owners in identifying and responding to online threats more effectively.
Rising threats
Recent data from Gen’s Q2 Threat Report points to a notable rise in threats facing small businesses, with a 21% quarter-over-quarter increase in business-targeted data breaches and a 68% increase in attacks directed at small enterprises so far in 2025. These trends highlight the shifting tactics of cybercriminals, who now commonly exploit stolen information from the dark web and impersonate legitimate vendors or companies, potentially causing significant financial and reputational harm to unprotected smaller firms.
“Today, small businesses are targets like everyone else and they need the right tools to help protect them from very real threats,” said Deval Patel, Head of Small Business at Gen. “A cyber incident can cripple a small business by tarnishing its reputation and draining financial reserves. Thousands of small businesses trust the comprehensiveness of Norton Small Business to help safeguard their data and customers. By adding enhanced Dark Web and Social Media Monitoring alongside our Financial Monitoring feature, we’re extending that peace of mind into areas where cyber threats are growing fastest.”
Expanded monitoring capabilities
With the enhanced Dark Web Monitoring, Norton now scans for eight business-specific elements including Company Name, Tax ID number and VAT numbers. If any of these fields appear on dark web sites where stolen business data is often traded, Norton’s system notifies small business owners immediately, providing them with an opportunity to act quickly in mitigating risk.
The Social Media Monitoring feature, available for connected business Facebook and Instagram accounts, delivers early alerts on possible account takeovers, scam links, or suspicious activity. The need for such protection has grown; Gen’s threat analysis for Q2 has documented a pronounced increase in financial scams and technology support fraud campaigns originating on these popular social platforms.
Social networks have become critical for many businesses’ reputation management and customer engagement efforts. The introduction of these alerts aims to provide companies with the advanced warning required to respond to and contain potential security issues that could otherwise escalate rapidly.
Service availability
Norton’s Dark Web Monitoring is included in the Small Business Standard and Premium plans and is available in regions including the US, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Japan. The Social Media Monitoring feature is offered as part of the Premium package specifically in the US and UK.
Market context
Small businesses, traditionally seen as less targeted compared to larger organisations, are now facing increasing pressure to protect their own data and that of their customers. A lack of sophisticated digital defences has put many at elevated risk amidst the current surge in cybercrime, with attackers able to exploit exposed business credentials and social identities.
Patel stressed the range of threats now facing these companies and underscored the importance of comprehensive protection across multiple fronts, including data, finances and online presence. “Today, small businesses are targets like everyone else and they need the right tools to help protect them from very real threats,” he said. “A cyber incident can cripple a small business by tarnishing its reputation and draining financial reserves. Thousands of small businesses trust the comprehensiveness of Norton Small Business to help safeguard their data and customers. By adding enhanced Dark Web and Social Media Monitoring alongside our Financial Monitoring feature, we’re extending that peace of mind into areas where cyber threats are growing fastest.”
Current challenges
Surges in data breaches over recent quarters, together with the rise in fraud attempts via social platforms, show that the threat landscape for small businesses continues to evolve. Solutions which provide alerts and actionable information on breaches and suspicious activity may play a role in helping companies to react promptly, contain problems, and limit potential losses from cyber incidents.
