UK sounds alarm on rising cyber risks to businesses
The UK government launched a national campaign urging businesses to strengthen basic cyber defenses.
The initiative follows new figures highlighting the scale of the threat. Serious cyber incidents cost businesses an average of £195,000, with about half of small firms experiencing one in the past 12 months, officials say.
“No business is out of reach from cyber criminals. SMEs play a vital role in our economy, and business owners work incredibly hard to build something valuable, but too many still assume cyber criminals only go after big brands. Criminals look for easy opportunities, and without basic protections in place, any business of any size can become a target,” warned Cyber Security Minister Baroness Lloyd.
The campaign is designed to reach small and medium-sized enterprises through social media, radio, podcasts and business networks. It encourages organizations to engage with the government’s Cyber Essentials scheme, which sets out five core technical controls covering firewalls, secure configuration, software updates, user access management and malware protection.
“The Government’s launch of the Cyber Essentials scheme is an encouraging show of support for small-to-mid-sized organizations. This is especially crucial at a time where cybercriminals are increasingly targeting SMEs, who are often more vulnerable than their enterprise counterparts due to smaller budgets,” Dr Ric Derbyshire, Principal Security Researcher at Orange Cyberdefense, told Help Net Security.
“The beauty of extending support and education towards this group of organizations is that it benefits all. Modern supply chains are no longer linear, but a dense web of interdependence, and any small weakness can be the catalyst for a large-scale attack. This emphasis on securing the UK’s SMEs is also a step toward securing cross-national and international supply chains,” concluded Derbyshire.
More organizations are beginning to act on the importance of cybersecurity. The government hopes the campaign will help protect economic growth that supports job creation, improves living standards and contributes to the funding of public services.