Posted on December 7, 2020 by Louise Howland
In the UK alone cybercrime costs victims £197k a day, where most are attacked through social media and email accounts. Even worse, many are unaware of what is happening until the damage is already done. Action Fraud, a national cybercrime reporting centre, said £34.6m was reported stolen from victims between April and September 2018, which is a 24% increase on the previous six months.
We’ve taken a look at some local cyber-attack statistics recently recorded by Surrey police in hopes of spreading awareness about the damaging effects cyber-attacks can have on individuals and businesses.
According to the official government statement:
“The Cyber Security Breaches Survey is a quantitative and qualitative study of UK businesses and charities. It helps these organisations understand the nature and significance of the cyber security threats they face, and what others are doing to stay secure. It also supports the government to shape future policy in this area. For this latest release, the quantitative survey was carried out in winter 2019 and the qualitative element in early 2020. “
There are many ways you can become more vigilant as an individual to protect yourself against cyber-attacks, including:
It might be easy to remember your siblings name alongside your birthdate, but this is how hackers can access your data. By setting strong passwords (a code of letters, numbers, and symbols), you can protect your passwords from being breached by hackers. You should also ensure you have different passwords for everything, and that you change them on a regular basis.
By doing this, you will add an additional layer of security. Two factor authentication will require a personal identification code each time you log in, which will be sent to your chosen device at log in. This will help prevent hackers from accessing your accounts and will alarm you of unauthorised activity.
If you use a Virtual Private Network Wi-Fi (VPN), the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted, this prevents people from seeing what you are doing online or interfering your device. Whereas when you connect to an unsecure network (public WiFi, which can be found in shops, airports, coffee shops and many other public places), you’re putting yourself at risk. On unsecure networks, you can have your data accessed by cybercriminals and you’re putting yourself at greater risk. Hackers use unsecure Wi-Fi’s to distribute malware and place infected software on devices without the user realising they have been compromised.
If you have a business, there are many ways in which you can ensure your employees are prepared for attacks or breaches.
Over 90% of cybersecurity breaches involve human error, which is why staff training should be a key part of your defence. Employee training and awareness are essential parts of your business’s cybersecurity. All the firewalls in the world can’t protect you when an employee lets a hacker in unknowingly.
You never know who may be entering your workplace, so ensure your employees do not have any passwords on show for anyone else to see. Instead, encourage them to keep their passwords private and to not share this information with anyone else, or leave them in places that could be lost.
As one of the most trusted providers of cybersecurity solutions and support across London and the South East, we offer you protection and peace of mind. It has never been more important to ensure your IT is secure. IT systems are under attack on a daily basis and from a variety of threats, with cybercrime now claiming billions of pounds worldwide.
Get in touch today.
