October is Cyber Security month!
To celebrate this, we will be posting content on how your business can stay protected from cybercrime all year round.
Let’s get started with by highlighting some mistakes that your business may be making.
“I use the same password every time”
Using the same password for every service/account is one of the most common mistakes made by internet users. If your business repeatedly uses the same password, it could be vulnerable to a cyber attack.
Cyber security experts recommended that your business has a different password for each account and that passwords are not saved in one central file.
Create a strong password by using at least eight characters. You are also recommended to use a mixture of lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols.
“Small businesses aren’t affected by attacks”
Cyber criminals target businesses of all sizes. Last year it was estimated that the total costs associated with successful cyber attacks on SMEs exceeded £1m.
Computer Weekly reported that:
“The cost of data breaches has risen to an average of just over £1.2m including all attack mitigation and business disruption costs from £717,909!”
SMEs can be torn apart by cyber attacks as they are unable to pay the fines and damage costs, so make sure your business is investing cyber security to prevent these payments.
“I purchased Cyber Essentials last year”
Businesses accredited with either Cyber Essentials certification or Cyber Essentials PLUS certification must renew their subscription annually. This is simple and easy to do. Simply log into your Cyber Essentials account and resubmit your form.
“I don’t need Cyber Essentials”
If you want to want to win MOD contracts, you will need Cyber Essentials certification as it has been has been mandatory for suppliers* to the MOD since 1 January 2016.
If would like to learn more about Cyber Essentials, download our free Scheme Summary to find out more.
