Happy New Year! Going into the new year Tecnica takes a look at cyber-security and the rising threat of cyber-attacks on small-to-medium sized businesses. Since 2020, cyber-crime has continued to rise year on year and 2023 was no different. On average, around 43% of all cyber-attacks happen to small businesses like yours. Gone were the days when criminals only targeted the big fish for large payouts, now they target everybody and they know that most SMEs aren’t equipped to deal with a cyber-attack. See what cyber-security solutions we can offer you and your business here.
It’s not only SME’s that aren’t prepared. A recent scathing report shows the UK at risk from a serious cyber-attack. The government has been warned that the country could be severely hampered by a cyber-attack if they do not make cyber-security more of a priority by increasing security budgets and upgrading outdated IT systems. The UK is currently one of the most targeted countries in the world and more needs to be done by the government if they do not want to be caught out by a catastrophic attack.
The MOD received a fine of £350,000 in December last year, for a data breach back in 2021. The breach put hundreds of people in danger during the UK’s military departure from Afghanistan. The MoD sent emails to Afghan nationals, who had aided the UK and were eligible for evacuation, which included sensitive information and allowed everyone included to view email addresses, locations, and profile photos. Can your business afford to be caught out? Contact Tecnica today to see how we can help your business become Cyber Essentials certified. Tecnica have the answer, why not ask?
Phishing scams and the growing concern of generative-AI. Attackers have been using AI to generate more convincing emails and adverts to fool victims into clicking on legitimate looking links. Before it was easy to spot a fake email due to spelling errors, bad grammar, and fake hyperlinks but AI and the use of Large Language Models is making it harder for people to spot.
Booking.com falls victim to phishing scam. Booking.com confirmed in November they had been targeted after it was brought to their attention that phishing emails were sent to hotel employees who unknowingly clicked on infected links allowing attackers to gain access to customer bookings. Emails were then sent from the hotel via Booking.com asking customers for credit card information. Read more on phishing scams.
Businesses losing customer’s trust.
Cyber-attacks are not stopping and they affect everyone. Malware is readily available to buy on the dark web so even those with no hacking experience can exploit businesses and individuals. Staff need to be trained to recognise spam/phishing emails in order to protect the business and businesses need to implement strong and appropriate strategies to combat cyber-attacks. In an age where customers no longer trust companies to keep their data safe, we need to be more vigilant in protecting their data. At Tecnica we can work with you and your staff to implement the government backed security standard Cyber Essentials. Contact Tecnica today to see how we can help you to protect your staff, customers and business.
