Because of the work I do with the National Cyber Resilience Centre, I am acutely aware of the risks of cyber attacks on businesses, especially SMEs. The National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG) is a not-for-profit company funded and supported by the Home Office, policing and private sector organisations, set up to strengthen the awareness of cybercrime and the need for better cyber resilience across the business community.
I am amazed on a daily basis by the increasing volume of attacks and the lack of awareness about the threats. And it’s not only a lack of awareness; it’s the scale of the misconception among business owners that they are too small to be attacked, therefore believing it won’t happen to them. Wrong. Cyber attacks happen to businesses of all sizes.
Many companies don’t think they are cyber-businesses. Therefore, they are not at risk, but the reality is that if you operate a website, you are at risk. In fact, it is arguable that a hairdressing business taking online bookings is actually a cyber-business!
There’s also a massive misunderstanding about the most common weaknesses with websites; many believe it is because of weak passwords or poor password protocols. Wrong. Weak or stolen passwords account for only 8% of breaches. A much more common reason for a site being hacked is because it has out-of-date core files, plugins or php; these reasons account for 61% of breaches. Maintaining an up-to-date website must become your top priority.
How often breaches happen, and the scale of the problem is also grossly underestimated. Shockingly, research reveals there are 65,000+ hacking attempts on the websites of SMEs every day in the UK.
When a website is hacked, what are the most significant impacts? Victims have reported losing data, time, revenue, client confidence, and brand reputation as some of the most damaging outcomes. However, GDPR may also mean that being the victim of a hack could result in a fine.
As a full-service agency, fatBuzz offers a Website Maintenance & Support service, but whether it’s provided by fatBuzz or not, you need to have a well-maintained website. Get yourself a Maintenance & Support Contract; it will help massively to avoid unwanted intrusions to your website and protect you from the damage that results from being hacked. You should also note that this is not covered in a Web Hosting arrangement, which is another frequent misconception!
If there’s anything my team and I can do to help you improve the security of your website, please email martin@fatbuzz.com or call on 0141 427 0727; he will happily discuss the options and advise you on the best course of action.