To arm small business owners against ever-growing cyber threats, the U.S. Chamber has joined up with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to launch a free online toolkit to help businesses develop a cybersecurity strategy.

“We know that hiring cybersecurity experts is costly,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in an October 24 speech at the Chamber headquarters. “This tool will be of particular value for businesses that lack the resources to hire a dedicated staff member to protect themselves from cyber threats. Even a business with one computer or one credit card swiper can benefit from this important guidance.”

The Small Biz Cyber Planner, which will be released in November, will ask a series of questions such as “Does your business use credit cards?” and “Does your business have a public website?” Based on the responses, it will generate a planning guide to help companies put in place basic policies to protect against cyber-threats.

“With larger companies increasing their protections, small businesses are now the low-hanging fruit for cybercriminals,” Genachowski warned.

A  study released by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance found that 40% of all targeted cyber attacks are directed at companies with fewer than 500 employees. The survey found that two-thirds (67%) of U.S. small businesses say they have become more dependent on the Internet in the last year, and 66% say they are dependent on the network for their day-to-day operations. But only 52% say they have a cybersecurity strategy in place, and 47% report that they don’t back up their data.

“Not to consider cybersecurity is a little bit like leaving your money around on a table and thinking that’s not going to be a problem,” said former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who also spoke at the event. Chertoff praised the FCC-Chamber initiative and urged small businesses to take cybersecurity seriously.

The Small Biz Cyber Planner, which will be available at www.fcc.gov/cyberforsmallbiz, was developed in a partnership between the FCC, the Homeland Security Department, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several data security firms.