The term ‘Cyber Security’ can be daunting for those who don’t specialise in technology. We’re told it’s important and could result in disastrous consequences. Yet many don’t know where to start their cyber security journey.
The real problem is that business owners like you, assume you have cyber security covered because you have in-house IT or are outsourcing to an IT company. Unless you or they have a specialist cyber security team, you are just hoping they have this covered.
90% of cyber attacks are caused by users
One user clicking on one link in one email can shut down your business. Or you can follow the example of the Florida town who paid up close to £500,000 because a user clicked a bad link in just a single email.
The problem isn’t that your employees have bad intentions and want to put you out of business. It’s that phishing attacks are so hard to spot these days, and staff just aren’t trained on how to do this.
Social engineering No. 1 – it beats ALL technology
Trained staff can be your best line of defence, but untrained staff can be your biggest threat. Security needs to not only by implemented but employees need to be vigilant.
There needs to be a security culture within your business which starts from the top. You can’t expect staff to take this seriously if they don’t see you doing it.
Regardless of whose responsibility it is, if your company goes out of business due to a cyber attack, it will affect everyone.
“In the UK, 60% of small businesses go out of business within 6 months of a cyber-attack.”
What you must do about Cyber Security
Policies are key to ensuring employees follow security guidelines. These include on-boarding and off-boarding policies, strong password policies, and ‘Bring Your Own Device’ policies.
Cyber security training is also key in combating social engineering and phishing attacks – otherwise it’s just a matter of time before negligent staff click onto what is your biggest disaster.
At m3 Networks, we offer a range of Cyber Security products. We understand each business has different needs, according to their size and business sector. This is why we have developed our CyberCare range, designed to meet the cyber security needs of small and medium businesses in Scotland.
We include phishing training for your users and also the policies you need to have in place in order to ensure your employees are equipped to protect your business.
The first thing any business should do, is carry out a cyber security risk assessment.
Find out more about our CyberCare products here, or to speak to one of our cyber security experts on 01738237001.
