As a business owner, no matter if you are a large corporation, a small enterprise, or a one-person trader, you are a target for cyber criminals.
We see the headlines of huge, multi-national businesses being attacked and get the sense that criminals are only interested in them.
In reality, cyber criminals don’t care about the size of a company or how big they are. They look for the weaknesses, and if your online defences are poor, you could be exposed and this will have devastating consequences for your business.
Recent government figures show that a significant cyber-attack, for an individual business, will cost them almost £195,000. When we scale this to a full UK Cost, it reaches an estimated cost of £14.7 billion.
The message from the government, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Lancashire Police is loud and clear, cyber security is no longer an optional consideration for your business. You must take responsibility to improve your online safety and protect your assets as best you can.
Therefore, to help businesses of all sizes in Lancashire stay ‘cyber safe’, Lancashire police have compiled a list of options that will assist businesses improve their cyber security and better protect their systems, data and customers.
Cyber Essentials
This is a government backed programme for businesses to follow that sets out the minimum standard of cyber security recommended for organisations of all sizes. It is designed to prevent the most common internet based cyber security threats as, contrary to opinion, most cyber attacks are basic in nature.
Think of these simple cyber-attacks as the online equivalent of a burglar trying the front door handle to see if it is unlocked. Having Cyber Essentials helps ensure this digital door is shut
and secure, keeping your digital data and information safe.
Cyber Action Toolkit
The NCSC has developed this free online tool that help businesses work through Cyber security controls step by step and in their own time.
Free to use
Quick to start
Actions to complete at your own pace
Build layers of protection around your business.
Northwest Cyber Resilience Centre
This home office funded resource is a police-led partnership that provides SMEs with professional cyber security services and protection. They offer services such as staff training, network and website vulnerability assessments and digital footprint assessments.
SMEs simply need to sign up on the CRC website and take advantage of the fully funded options that are available.
Government Cyber Resilience Pledge
The government has created this voluntary Cyber Resilience Pledge, which provides organisations a chance to demonstrate their commitment to cyber security, increase their resilience to online threats and stand out from their competitors.
Those signing up are asked to commit to the following actions:
Make cyber a Board responsibility
Sign up to the Early Warning service
Require Cyber Essentials across their supply chains.
Organisations would also commit to encouraging these actions across their supply
chains and publishing the signed declaration on their websites.
For more information, visit: https://www.nwcrc.co.uk/
