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ARE YOU ACCOUNTING FOR CYBER THREATS?

It’s now a frequently-quoted statistic that a small business is hacked in the UK every 19 seconds. But did you know that 60% of small firms go under within six months of being hacked? If you run a small to medium-sized business-services company, such as an accountancy practice or law firm, it’s easy to assume […]

Your data or your life: home-working and the increased security threat to your business.

At the Chatham House Cyber 2021 conference last month, Lindy Cameron, the head of the National Cyber Security Centre, said that ransomware attacks pose “the most immediate danger” to UK businesses right now.  Businesses who are still reeling from the effects of Covid on their turnover might find Ms. Cameron’s statement surprising, but the statistics […]

Cyber Terrorism: a Gunpowder Plot for the 21st Century.

When Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up parliament in 1605, he had to adopt a new identity for the previous six months so he could live in the house next door that he and Thomas Percy had rented, spend half a year digging a tunnel through to Parliament, and then smuggle 36 barrels of gunpowder […]

Is there a ghost in your machine?

This case study shows just how important it is to provide up-to-date cyber education and training for your employees. Even the most sophisticated cyber security won’t protect your systems if an employee unwittingly invites a hacker in…. Background We received a desperate phone call in the early hours of the morning from David Watts, the […]

Who’s been sleeping in your emails?

This case study shows just how sophisticated cyber criminals can be and the devastation that can be wrought when they are successful in their aims. All identifying features have been altered to protect the client.  Background A bright and successful solopreneur, Belinda Carter had been running her own company for more than 15 years and […]

Once more unto the breach…

Defeating cyber criminals who are determined to attack virtual gaps until they find a way through to your data requires increasingly sophisticated fortifications which need to be regularly updated. Often sold on the Dark Web or encrypted for the purposes of extorting a ransom, information held by the companies we deal with is incredibly valuable […]

HOW TO AVOID BEING CAUGHT BY A PHISHING ATTACK

Earlier this year, the American energy supplier Colonial Pipeline was brought to a stand still by a huge hacking incident in its systems. The vast majority of the damage was caused by malware that could only be placed in the system because the group responsible had obtained the password. How did they get the password […]

5 EASY TIPS FOR CYBER SAFETY

1. Stop real-time check-ins on social media! It’s now pretty well known that ‘checking in’ on social media when you’re on holiday or at the airport is a very handy alert system for burglars to come and clear out your house! But did you know you should never ‘check in’ from home, either? Broadcasting the […]