When it comes to protecting one's house against intrusion, the common wisdom is to think like a burglar.
Criminals are adept assessors of risk: The house on the block without a fence, a dog and an alarm system vs. other homes that have such security measures is the one to burglarize.
The same applies to Internet hackers. Lots of companies have a tantalizing storehouse of personally identifiable information on customers and employees, but the ones hackers are going to attack are those deemed to be the least secure. Right now, this description fits many small and medium-size companies, experts say.
Recent studies underscore the threat to middle-market players.