Trio of cyber warnings for Somerset businesses

18 January 2024

Chamber members, South West Cyber Resilience Centre (SWCRC), have issued these warnings for businesses in Somerset:

• Over the last year, criminals are making more and more use of software weaknesses. Looking out for dodgy emails alone will not protect you, if the bad guys are busy exploiting gaps which do not need you to let them in. You need to make sure that your systems are updated automatically wherever possible, so that security updates are promptly applied: because 25% of these weaknesses are widely exploited on the day they’re announced. Often, logging out at the end of the day helps spark these updates.

• As cyber defences get better, there is a risk that simply bribing a company insider becomes the simplest way to break into your systems and a suggestion that such practices are on the rise. You need to minimise the damage that any one employee can do: for the smallest businesses, something as basic as ensuring that people can only access what they need, is a good start. You should also consider a recovery plan in case things go wrong – do you have data backup in place, and would you know who to contact for help?

• Google is forecasting that mobile cybercrime will increase this year, with social media accounts, pop-ups and fake messages prompting users to install malicious applications onto their hand-held devices. Be aware that cyber security does not just relate to your computers, and as far as you can, ensure that any devices used on your networks are up to date and have protection in place. The UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre publishes guidance for organisations at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/device-security-guidance/bring-your-own-device