We live in an increasingly digital world where we rely on technology in every aspect of our personal and professional lives. For the most part, technology makes our lives easier, from checking the bus times on our phone in the morning, to replying to messages during work and organising all your files for the next day before you log off in the evening.
It’s easy to forget about the security threats that hackers, spammers and cybercriminals pose when you’re online, and for businesses the risk of being involved in a cybercrime can lead to financial loss, wasted time and resources, and can sometimes lead to loss of customers and reputational damage.
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Cyber Security Awareness Month, which takes place in October, which was created to educate people on how to recognise, reject and report cyber attacks and scams. Since 2003, technology has evolved drastically and so has the volume of cyberattacks that take place. This is why it’s important for businesses to regularly check their own cybersecurity and stay up to date on the latest schemes and scams that are lurking behind the platforms and devices we use.
Cyber Security tips for businesses this October
We spoke to Ross Brown, Head of Cyber and Innovation for the South West Cyber Resilience Centre, who has shared their timely tips to keep you alert during October and beyond.
Check Signal Plus Messenger and Flygram apps
This month, Signal Plus Messenger and Flygram were both available on official stores but contained malicious code, and a fake YouTube app has been identified, which will compromise your device. If you’ve recently downloaded these apps, check that you used an official app store.
Be cautious of blurred documents in emails
Recently we’ve seen examples of blurred documents coming through via email, where the user is encouraged to click, on a captcha box for example, in the hope of making them properly visible. Word files and fake invoices are examples. However, clicking actually downloads malicious content to your machine. Be aware of this tactic!
Malicious software doesn’t always mean a ‘phishing email’
Malicious software doesn’t just come via so-called ‘phishing’ emails. We’re also seeing it land on your network via other channels, Teams being a good example. If someone external to your organisation tries to share content with you, make sure that it’s expected, and that they’re a trustworthy source.
How South West Cyber Resilience Centre (SWCRC) can help your organisation with its cyber security
SWCRC is a not-for-profit collaboration between South West policing, government, Ambassador partners and academia and is here purely to assist organisations build their cyber resilience by taking simple actions and precautions. The SWCRC helps smaller organisations make their cyber operations safer, more secure and more resilient, because we know that larger organisations often have deeper IT pockets and budgets.
The first step is to make sure that you are a signed up member of the SWCRC (it’s free) along with over 1300 organisations in the South West.
Join the growing community at SWCRC through their membership portal.
By joining you’ll receive monthly updates on cyber security risks and data breaches, as well as invites to webinars, events and special offers from their Cyber partners.
One important feature of the SWCRC is that they can help our members to access affordable specialist cyber security advice and support through the new Cyber Path initiative. This is a unique talent pipeline to develop the next generation of workplace-ready specialists in cyber resilience, and they can work with you to test the security of your website and organisation.
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