We’re at that time of year where New Year’s resolutions are really being put to the test.
Early February is when most people, who started the year with the best intentions, start to feel the effects.
Questions are asked about these new life choices, new business choices. Is it too much effort, is it really worth it – am I actually seeing any change from the thing that I’ve only implemented for a month?
We’ve all been there, we’ve all done it. Whether it’s a health-related endeavour like going to the gym on a more frequent basis or a new strategy you’ve tried to instil in your business; this is the time of year when we doubt our resolutions with many get ditched for the reasons outlined above.
For any business who has decided to tighten up on their cyber security in the new year, you might be starting to doubt whether you should continue.
Maybe you’ve not noticed a difference, maybe you think that you’ve got everything you need in place. Maybe you’ve got other constraints such as finances that are causing you to revaluate.
Whatever those doubts may be, when it comes to your cyber security measures, consider this:
2022, according to Beaming, was the worst year on record for malicious online activity since their records began.
The last quarter of 2022, from October to December, was the busiest quarter for attacks by cybercriminals aiming to breach the security of businesses in the UK.
By the time you’ve read this article, the chances are there have been five victims of cybercrime in the UK.
The cold hard facts are these:
- In 2022, businesses in the UK experienced nearly 700,000 attempts each to breach their online systems
- That’s the equivalent of someone, or something, trying to compromise systems to gain access to confidential information every 46 seconds
- In that October – December period, cyberattacks were up by 7% from the previous year which equates to an additional 11,295 attacks - EACH!
That’s absolutely insane and a serious, serious risk to your business.
A risk that is becoming more frequent and certainly not one that will be going away any time soon. In fact, it’s only likely to intensify as businesses rely more on the internet to operate.
One reason it’s not going away is the growing implementation of Internet of Things devices in UK businesses – that’s things like smart TVs, smart watches, heating and cooling systems, and, perhaps the most common, systems like Amazon Alexa.
1 in 7 attacks tried to gain control through these devices.
A further 5,000 attempts were made to breach other systems like file-sharing platforms, remote working systems and databases. Again, that 5,000 on each UK business.
So, whilst you may be considering shelving your cyber security or questioning how much impact it actually has, the answers are this:
- Cyber security has never been more important. Now is absolutely not the time to take your foot off the pedal
- There’s always more that you can be doing – a multi-layered, proactive approach is essential
- It only takes one device to leave you open to an attack
How we can help
At Affinity, we are a Silver ESET UK Partner which allows to implement the best possible protection available on the market.
We help minimise security risks to your businesses, helping to make your working environment robust and less penetrable from cybercriminal.
Things like:
- Enhanced spam filtering
- Password management systems
- In-depth system monitoring
- Antivirus and encryption for your all desktops, laptops, phones and tablets
- Dark web monitoring service
If you don’t know what you’re doing to keep your businesses’ data and systems protected, or are concerned that you might not have any protection in place whatsoever, please do not hesitate in contacting Affinity today.
