Cyber Security

There have been many different threats over the years, and they all affect businesses in different ways.

An attack by a suspicious party could cause system outages or data loss. Imagine if your private data got in the wrong hands, it could even signal the end of your business.

These days, Cyber crime is a huge risk, and due to the advent of embedded devices, SOC (System On Chip), IoT devices (Internet Of Things) and mobile devices, it’s truly difficult to keep everything secure.

If you are not encrypting your devices, it leaves them particularly vulnerable. If they are lost or stolen, the thieves have an opportunity to extract data from them easily – even if they are password protected.

With the advent of GDPR (In Europe) and similar other legislation in other countries, the penalties your business can incur are very serious indeed, which is why you should be putting in policies to protect against this immediately.

The fine is up to 10 Million Euro, or 2% of your annual turnover (whichever is greater) and there are even greater fines if a data breach is not reported immediately.

Therefore, disk encryption is extremely important and really needs to be implemented to protect companies of all sizes. Although you cannot account for every risk, these days it pays to be prepared. The businesses at most risk are the ones without a strategy in place.

There are some high profile cases of Cyber Crime that have affected many private and public sector companies

Ransomware

Malware

There are many other types of malware that could compromise data or a compromise the usability of a machine, making it slow to respond or even impossible to use. Malware has taken many different forms over the years and has affected many different systems.  

Phishing

A phishing attack is usually carried out via a rogue e-mail or rogue text message, with a fake URL disguised as a genuine one. The unsuspecting user would click on the link thinking it was genuine, and it would direct them to a fake page where their data could be captured.

Hacking

Computer hacking has been around for almost as long as computer systems themselves. Some of these hack attempts may be basic or sophisticated. Some are generally targeted at a range of internet addresses, and others can be very targeted, at a specific business or organisation.

Summary

Preparation is the key. If your business is well prepared, then most risks can be mitigated. The key things to ask and check are the following items in place:

• Server Backup
• Workstation Backup
• E-Mail Backup
• Data Encryption
• Anti-Virus & Malware Protection
• Disaster Recovery Plan

If you do not have these in place you should be concerned. We can help you establish a plan today. Book a call with us today.

High Speed
Business Broadband