A small business in the UK is successfully hacked once every 19 seconds, according to Hiscox.
The word ‘hack’ conjures up an image of a shadowy figure in a dark room, typing codes furiously until they gain access to systems and data they can download and use for their own means. But in reality, cybercriminals want to make as much money as possible with as little effort as possible, and that’s where you and your employees come in.
Small businesses and cybercrime: the stats
According to research, 44% of UK consumers claim that they’ll take their business elsewhere and stop choosing to spend money with businesses after a data breach. 41% say they would take that stance permanently. 33% of UK organisations say they lost customers after a data breach.
We’re not including these statistics to scare you, we’re using them to point out that if you and your business are the victims of cybercrime, it’s likely to have a lasting detrimental impact on your business much more further reaching than just the initial fallout – and it’s something that in our experience most businesses just don’t consider until after it’s happened to them.
These hacking attempts include the use of scams, encouraging business owners and employees to click on malicious links to give criminals access to their systems, or the criminals spoofing emails and pretending to be someone they aren’t in order to convince a member of staff to transfer company funds straight into their bank account.
We pay for excellent security, it won’t happen to us
Whilst it’s really important to have a multi-layered approach when it comes to cyber security, there is no technology in the world which will keep your business completely safe from hacking attempts, there will always be that one email which makes its way into an inbox undetected and it’s then down to the email receiver to spot the scam and delete.
The people working within your business are the last line of defence, in your overall security strategy – and why would you leave such an important defence completely unprotected?
Scammers prey on emotion
Something human beings have which computers don’t is the ability to feel. Scammers thrive off of panic, because in a state of high emotion we humans act on impulse rather than thinking critically and acting rationally.
One example of a recent scam looking to profit from the fear caused by the global pandemic, seeks to get people to pay for COVID-19 tests. This one specifically might not be targeting businesses, but what if an employee received an email to their company email address, and the link initiated an immediate download of a virus?
All it takes is a moment of panic and a click of a malicious link to do serious damage to your systems.
Don’t let 2021 catch you or your team off guard, regular cyber security training for your entire team – including the MD – massively reduces your risk of becoming one of the above statistics. We’re offering a FREE one-to-one session with a technical strategist if you book before 1st June 2022. You can learn more about the training we offer here.
