Keep Your Business on Lock

Understand the Dangers of Cyber Security and How to Prevent Them.

If you are doing anything these days, chances are you can do it online. Although an amazing resource to your life and for businesses to thrive, it is also a hub of criminal activity. The threat of cybercrime to businesses is rising fast with reported losses in the billions for those in the UK.

The fact of the matter is…

In 2019, more than 55% of UK firms have reported a cyber-attack, a dramatic increase to the 40% that were reported the year before. The average loss of these breaches soared from £176,000 to £369,000 – an increase of 61%. 

Perhaps the largest attacks of late were on the NHS and British Airways in 2018 along with Equifax in 2017 where 143 million people’s personal data was exposed. It was also revealed that 60% of small businesses who are attacked go out of business 6 months later - a frightening statistic.

Covering Yourself Against the Criminals

Many are shocked by the realisation that any business, large or small, could fall victim to a cyber-attack and even more are horrified to discover that sometimes their team are responsible for helping these criminals get into the system in the first place.

A new report stated that UK businesses need to do more to build awareness in their firms in order to fend off cyber-attackers.

Would you and your team understand the different types of attacks and how to prevent them? It could be the difference between failing and tackling attackers head on.

Here’s what you need to know:

Phishing Attacks

A type of social engineering attack designed to steal user logins, credit card credentials and other types of personal, business or financial information. Coming from a perceived trusted source, i.e impersonating well known and trusted websites or via an email links that looks legitimate on first glance.

Ransomware

This can cause the permanent loss of company data because it infects encrypted data and secure database systems and threatens to delete or corrupt files unless a ransom is paid. Again, this can be spread by phishing emails and tainted attachments.

Malware

Malicious software that is unwanted and installed onto your system without your consent. It can attach itself to legitimate code, it can also lurk in useful applications or replicate itself across the internet.

Insider Threat

Your staff have the potential to be one of the largest threats to business through lack of knowledge and understanding. A simple misunderstood email or giving out classified information to the wrong resource could result in a serious attack. It’s also worth noting that ex-employees can cause a serious security risk, especially if you are a business that doesn’t update passwords or systems regularly.

Denial of Service

A brute force method to try and stop some online service working efficiently. For example, sending too much traffic to a website or so many requests to a database that it overwhelms its ability to function.

“But What Does it All Mean?”

What all of these attacks have in common is that they will cost your business time, money and resources which can set you back against your competitors. The frustrating part is, they are all easily preventable with the right knowledge and systems in place.

We understand that with an endless list of daily tasks, cyber security may not seem that important but, if your system was infected, how many of those daily tasks would you be able to complete? And at what cost?

That’s where we come in.

Enlisting the help of a professional and expert IT team can enhance the cyber protection for your organisation and keep you ahead of the game.

Our 3-step operation steps-up your Cyber Security providing a safeguarding service for you and your client’s personal data. We do the worrying so that you don’t have to.

If you could benefit from a security audit, get in touch with our team on 01603 515007 who will happily discuss your options.