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CONFRONT THE CYBER-THREAT WITH CONFIDENCE
New Lancaster University programme launches to help Lancashire SME leaders defend their businesses against the growing risk of cybercrime
It’s tempting to think of cybercrime as the kind of thing that happens to other businesses.
That used to be the case. It was rare to know a company that had been targeted: in 2019, there were only an estimated four ransomware attacks on businesses in Lancashire.
Now, just three years later, as many as four businesses a week in the region find that hackers have encrypted their computer systems and that access will be restored only upon payment of a ransom.
It’s not only big business that cybercriminals have their sights on, either: small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly likely to bear the brunt of a breach.
So, why are attacks growing?
THE PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR CYBERCRIME
Amid Covid-19 chaos, many SME business leaders did what was necessary to survive and shifted their business online, fast.
Sometimes, that speed of movement meant
that security was pushed to the bottom of the to-do list, leaving companies exposed.
With those first, frantic days of the pandemic behind us, now is an ideal time for business leaders to take a second look at their online security, says Dr Rebecca Robinson, business support and project manager at Lancaster University School of Computing and Communications (SCC): “It’s hugely important to take some time to reflect and lift the lid on your systems and processes to discover where your business’s weak points lie.”
However, for many SME business leaders, the world of cyber security is firmly outside their comfort zone. Rebecca continues: “As part of our work at SCC we prepare businesses for a digital future. Through that, we have found that many SME business leaders don’t know where to start in defending their business from attack.
“They told us they know there is a threat, but not how or where it might come from, how to ask the right questions of suppliers about their IT systems, or which tools to invest in.”
8174-LUni-CyberStrategy-360x30 advert.qxp_Lancashire Forum 18/08/2022 07:42 Page 1Helen Wilkinson
And, as Rebecca’s Lancaster University colleague, Helen Wilkinson points out, strong cyber security goes beyond simply installing a new system. Helen, knowledge exchange development manager at Lancaster University
CYBER STRATEGY PROGRAMME
Enabling your business to get ahead on cyber security and develop a culture of cyber excellence
Dr Rebecca Robinson
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