October is here and it brings Cyber Security Awareness Month. October is known as the (NCSAM) National Cyber Security Awareness Month and is recognised to promote cyber security by many countries around the globe.
The United States came up with the idea in 2004 and since then many other countries have joined in creating Cyber Security awareness throughout October.
Europe joined the US for Cyber Security month back in 2012 and this year marks 10 years of spreading awareness – take a look at their website here.
Why is Cyber Security Awareness month important?
Cybercrime is on the rise and has been for the past few years, it is no joke that you should be taking the security and protection of your business very seriously.
To realise how much your business is at risk, take a look at these cyber attack statistics:
Cyber attack statistics
- 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses.
- Around 65,000 attempts to hack small- to medium-sized businesses occur daily in the UK.
- 1 in 5 Small businesses will suffer a cyber breach this year.
- 81% Of all breaches happen to small and medium-sized businesses.
- 97% Of breaches could have been prevented with today’s technology.
No one wants to become a statistic, with this in mind, it’s essential you have some protection for your business. To help your business stay safe, we’ve put together a list of 14 ways to protect your business from a cyber attack.
14 ways to protect your business from a cyber attack
- Keep your device up to date
- Get Cyber Essentials (Security assessment)
- Secure your email and prevent spam
- Have secure, different, and unique passwords
- Train staff and make them aware of cyber crimes
- Implement MFA (Multi-factor authentication)
- Have a security incident & event management system
- Make sure your business has a backup within the cloud
- Encrypt your devices
- Have a secure Firewall
- Implement web gateway security
- Dark web credentials report
- Advanced Endpoint Detection & Response
- Ensure all employee’s mobile devices are secure
How much does a data breach cost?
If you were unfortunate enough to have a data breach, it’s not cheap, it costs a business an average of £19,400. So, prioritising Cyber Security for your business is essential for its survival against these malicious cyber criminals.
Similar to “a dog is not just for Christmas”, you shouldn’t just focus on Cyber Security just in October, it is essential and constantly needed.
To learn more about Cyber Security for your business, speak to one of our experts today at 01273 806211 or email [email protected]
