Cyber Scotland Week – Protect your business from cyber attacks
How cyber aware is your team and how resilient is your business? These are questions that businesses up and down the country should be asking themselves this week, with the return of Cyber Scotland Week which runs from Monday 28th February to Sunday 6th March. The aim is to educate, inform and support cyber resilience, so we’re backing the campaign by sharing the latest facts, figures and recommendations from the cyber specialists at incovo.
What are the most common cyber threats today?
According to the National Crime Agency, the most common cyber threats include:
- Hacking: Obtaining email passwords and taking over social media profiles.
- Phishing: Sending bogus emails requesting security information and personal details.
- Malicious software: For example ransomware which enables criminals to hijack files and hold them to ransom.
- Distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks against websites: This is often accompanied by extortion.
How widespread is the problem of cyber attacks?
A recent UK government survey, The Cyber Security Breaches Survey, showed just how widespread and damaging cyber attacks on businesses can be. It reported:
- 46% of UK businesses and charities reported a cyber attack during 2020.
- Of those, 33% claimed they experienced a cyber attack in 2020 at least once a week. This was an increase of 22% compared to 2017.
- The average cost of a cyber attack for a small business in 2019 was £11,000. This figure includes costs such as ransom payments and hardware replacements, as well as indirect factors such as business interruption.
How can I protect my business from cyber attacks?
The key things to consider are how to keep your internet connection, devices and software secure and up to date, and how to control access to your data.
The best ways to do this are to:
- Ensure all staff receive comprehensive cyber security training
- Use strong and unique passwords for all user accounts
- Use firewalls and security software
- Ensure all software is updated regularly
- Back up your system
- Formulate a business continuity plan
What do the cyber specialists at incovo recommend?
For full peace of mind, businesses need their devices, software and data to be protected 24/7. They also need to have confidence that, should a cyber attack happen, they have a team of experts on-hand to respond to the situation as soon as possible to limit the damage.
Sophos MTR (Managed Threat Response) delivers on both fronts. This advanced cyber software offers 24/7 threat hunting, detection and response, delivered by an expert team as a fully-managed service. Plus, it gives customers access to Rapid Response – a deeper level of ransom attack protection, where specialists at Sophos are on standby to proactively prevent and react to threats in real time.
Sophos MTR is available from incovo, a newly certified and fully accredited Managed Security Services Provider.
How can I find out more?
To find out more about protecting your business from cyber attacks, arrange an appointment with the cyber specialists at incovo by calling 0345 450 8400 or email support@incovo.com to book a consultation today.
