Past Events

What Small Business Owners Need to Know About Generative AI and Cyber Risks

Technology has changed — but human nature hasn’t.

Centuries ago, Aesop taught us how curiosity, greed, and misplaced trust could lead to trouble. Today, those same instincts drive the risks behind generative AI — and small businesses are the new targets. Generative AI can help businesses grow faster and work smarter, but it also opens new doors to data theft, misinformation, and digital manipulation.

This free 1-hour cybersecurity webinar connects timeless lessons in human behavior to the realities of modern technology. You’ll learn how AI, data privacy, and everyday decision-making intersect — and what every small business owner needs to know to use AI wisely, protect customer trust, and keep their digital assets safe.

In Just One Hour, You’ll Learn:

• What happens to your data when you use AI tools — and why you need to know how it can be reused, resold, or exposed

• How to recognize when an AI platform is quietly mining your business information — and what that means for privacy and liability

• How AI-generated messages, videos, and fake profiles are fueling new scams that target small businesses

• Practical ways to reduce data and privacy risks without expensive tools or technical expertise

• Why every business needs clear AI-use and data-protection guidelines — and simple steps to start

• Timeless cybersecurity habits that still work in an age of algorithms and automation

Who Should Attend:

Small business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, and anyone using AI tools or managing sensitive data in a digital business environment.

Every business, no matter the size, is a target in today’s connected economy. From phishing scams to ransomware, cyber threats can shut down operations overnight. 

This session breaks down the fundamentals of cybersecurity in plain language — what every owner, manager, and employee needs to know to prevent attacks, protect data, and keep business running smoothly. No jargon, no overwhelm — just practical steps you can put into action today.

In today’s digital world, protecting sensitive information is more important than ever. This webinar will introduce the fundamentals of cybersecurity, including how to recognize common threats, safeguard your data, and adopt best practices to reduce risk. Whether you’re a small business owner or simply looking to strengthen your personal online safety, this session will give you practical tools to stay secure.

AI can be a game-changer for small businesses — boosting efficiency, unlocking insights, and accelerating growth. But without the right safeguards, it can also open the door to costly breaches. Think of it like driving a high-performance car: powerful and exciting, but only safe with strong brakes, seatbelts, and airbags. 

In this session, we’ll give small business owners the strategies and safeguards they need to harness AI’s benefits while avoiding its biggest security risks.

Learn how to prevent and protect from data loss and data leakage resulting from cyber threats. At the end of the course, participants will have multiple, actionable steps to both recognize attacks as well as new behaviors that will thwart attacks.

Cyberattacks are no longer a big-business-only problem. Small businesses are now prime targets, and AI-powered threats are making attacks faster, cheaper, and harder to detect. 

This session cuts through the noise and gives small business owners the essential playbook to secure operations, protect customer trust, and stay one step ahead — all without breaking the budget.

One of the major updates to CSF 2.0 is the creation of the Govern Function, highlighting the importance of ensuring cybersecurity capabilities support the broader mission through Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).

Governance is the process of determining enterprise objectives, setting direction to achieve those objectives, and monitoring performance to adjust strategy as necessary. Risk governance provides the transparency, responsibility, and accountability that enables managers to effectively manage risk. NIST recently updated a series of publications on integration of Cybersecurity and ERM to align with revisions to CSF 2.0, which can be found here: NIST IR 8286.

In the second webinar of NIST’s new multi-part CSF 2.0 webinar series, we will provide a discussion covering:

• Defining and demystifying governance.
• The role of the Govern Function in a cybersecurity-focused framework.
• Strategies for bidirectional communication between cybersecurity practitioners and leadership using best practice governance models.
• How organizations of all sizes can put cybersecurity governance into practice using the CSF 2.0.
• How you can use the CSF in conjunction with other NIST publications (such as NIST IR 8286 Parts A-D, SP 800-37r2, etc.) to better integrate cybersecurity and enterprise risk management for governance oversight. 
• Where to find CSF 2.0 implementation resources in support of cybersecurity governance.

Time will be reserved at the end for audience questions.

Speakers:

• Julie Chua, Division Chief, Applied Cybersecurity Division, NIST
• Nahla Ivy, Enterprise Risk Management Officer, Office of Financial Resources Management, NIST
• Daniel Eliot, Lead for Small Business Engagement, Applied Cybersecurity Division, NIST 

Fraud & Scams Are on the Rise: Is Your Business Protected?

Picture this: It’s a busy morning and you get a call demanding payment—or else your utilities will be shut off. It’s a scam, and it’s happening to small businesses across Maine every day.

Today’s scams are more sophisticated than ever. From fake invoices to spoofed websites and urgent calls from “official” agencies, small business owners are being targeted in new ways, and the financial fallout can be devastating.

Join Maine SBDC Advisor Dan Umphrey and Brandon McDonald from Northern Maine Development Commission for a practical session that breaks down how to spot scams before they cause harm. This webinar will give you the tools to strengthen your defenses and feel more confident navigating common threats.

You’ll learn how to:

• Spot the top 5 scams currently targeting Maine’s businesses
• Verify suspicious emails, callers, and websites
• Check if your business info has already been compromised
• Understand your legal options and how to report fraud
• Decide if your team needs cybersecurity training
• Whether you’ve been scammed before or want to tighten your defenses, this webinar offers a clear starting point.

Everyone is talking about generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. With 92% of Fortune 500 companies and 60% of small businesses using these tools, you can’t afford to miss out. Whether you’ve been curious but intimidated, or whether you’ve played around with some of the technology but aren’t sure how it can help you in your business, this is the session for you.

Our SBDC’s AI specialist will offer a non-technical introduction to generative AI technology, tips for implementing AI effectively in your business, some great advice about managing the risks and ethical concerns involved, and will lead you a hands-on exercise using a generative AI tool.

No matter what your level of technical know-how is, you’ll leave this session informed, confident and aware of both the risks and the benefits of this emerging technology.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) invites you to a live webinar introducing its recently released Foundations for Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity: Asset Inventory Guidance for Owners and Operators. This guidance was developed in collaboration with three U.S. federal agencies, five international partners, and more than a dozen private sector stakeholders.  

During this session, we will explore how robust asset inventories can help OT operators prioritize vulnerabilities, detect unauthorized devices, improve network segmentation, and enhance incident response capabilities. We will also walk through the steps to build an OT Asset Inventory and Taxonomy—highlighting the specific benefits to operators, especially small- and medium-sized entities.