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Is my business at risk of cyber crime?

Cyber crime is rarely out of the news these days and any business, whether large or small, is a potential target. Business owners need to ensure they have security measures in place to protect their data. This article will give you an overview of cyber crime and allows you to assess your risk.

What is cyber crime?

Cyber crimes are criminal/illegal activities that have been carried out using computers and/or the internet.

Due to the fact that computers and the internet play an increasing part in both our personal and our business lives, there are a wide variety of crimes that do in fact fall under the term ‘cyber crime’.

For example, most of us have received an unsolicited email at some point (known as SPAM); but rather than simply being an annoyance it is illegal and is therefore a cyber crime.

The most common types of cyber crime are:

  • virus infection to business computers
  • phishing – where sensitive information such as passwords are stolen by someone pretending to be from the bank for example
  • debit and credit card fraud.

Am I at risk?

Although you may have security on your IT solutions, cyber crime is rapidly evolving and there is always a risk that you may have been compromised.  You can take steps to mitigate this risk, and should consider having a policy that regularly reviews any threat to your business.

You can find out more about protecting your business against cyber threats at https://www.cyberstreetwise.com/cyberessentials/ 

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks.

Checklist: Practical advice on avoiding cyber crime

Cyber security should be a priority for every business, even the smallest. Security breaches could put businesses out of action and cost money, which can be fatal for smaller businesses with little time and money to spare. Here are our top tips for keeping your business secure. Login to save this checklist to your profile for future use. (To register to join and enjoy the benefits of membership click on the link at the top right of the page. It will only take a few minutes to create your profile).

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