Cybersecurity Awareness Month

It is estimated that cybercrime costs the UK £27 billion per annum. This statistic alone should send a shiver down the spine of every website owner and is why Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been growing ever since it started back in 2004, in the USA.

Since then, it has been adopted by other countries around the world and in October every year awareness is raised about the importance of cybersecurity and how to help prevent malevolent hackers disrupting business operations.

The initiative is designed to make individuals and businesses aware of the dangers of cybercrime, learn how attacks can take place and discover how to prevent them from happening.

Danger: Cyber-attacks can cause major damage to your business. If your company website is taken offline or made to show unwanted content, the reputation of your business can be tarnished. Worse still, if hackers are able to lock you out of your own systems, or move your business’s sensitive and personal data to a vault that you cannot reach, your business can be held to ransom. The most infamous example of this type of attack is the WannaCry outbreak of 2017, which brought many NHS hospitals and surgeries to a standstill.

How: The most common forms of cybercrime include phishing, ransomware and malware. These attacks can happen via email – when unsuspecting recipients click on a malicious link - or by hackers getting into the backend of your website and placing malicious software on it.

Prevention: It is important to keep your systems updated as much as possible. As well as this, use strong passwords, tell staff about the latest email and text scams which are happening and be careful about how much information you share online.

Here at BBI Brandboost we help our clients deal with the continued increase in cybercrime by ensuring systems are kept up to date and server defences are as robust as possible (much like building the protective wall taller than the hackers’ ladders are long). If you are worried about the internet security surrounding your business, please let us know. We can identify and assess any systems which need updating, and we have the resources and experience to help secure your website from the threat of cybercrime. Don’t delay. Contact us now.