Hackers are ready to pounce, warns chief cyber security boss
Businesses in Renfrewshire are being warned to tighten up their online security during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bosses are being urged to put in place stricter rules around passwords to protect staff and systems from hackers, with many employees now home working.
The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) is advising employers that home working can increase a firm’s vulnerability to cyber attacks.
Scammers have been cashing in on security fears and preying on system frailties, with cons already costing UK businesses almost £1million.
Safety moves, such as using password manager software and implementing a two- factor authentication. can thwart attacks.
Eamonn Keane, chief operating officer for cyber and innovation at SBRC, said: “The last thing any business battling the impact of coronavirus needs right now is a crippling cyber attack.
“The prospect of thousands of temporary home workers, potentially accessing a range of vital business servers and applications from vulnerable home internet connections, or using old or inadequate laptops or PCs, is a scary one.
“One of the easiest ways for businesses to avoid cyber attacks is to set up a password manager to secure, store and generate passwords for your team which can be accessed across various devices.
“Attackers use different techniques beyond hacking to discover passwords, including phishing, automated guessing using the most commonly-used passwords, manual guessing and intercepting networks.
“Password managers and two-factor authentication can easily put a stop to a lot of these tactics.”
He added increasing safety is vital to protecting both staff and the business.
Eamonn said: “Two- factor authentication is just another way of double checking you are who you’re claiming to be when you’re logging into business accounts – meaning, even if someone hacks or gains access to your password, they won’t necessarily be able to access your accounts.
“At SBRC, we endeavour to maintain
Scotland’s reputation as a safe place to do business, so we will do everything we can to keep our partners, members and the public as up to date as possible in these uncertain and ever-changing times.”
Declan Doyle, ethical hacking consultant at SBRC, said: “We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of phishing scams since the outbreak of the virus – including fraudulent emails targeting businesses about fake government tax rebates and coronavirus funding.
“Criminals are very smart and, as much as we can find, identify and shut down scams, the best course of action is to tell people what to look out for and give them advice to follow to minimise the risk of falling victim to these traps.
“Increasing your online security is one way to do this.”
The SRBC is a non- profit organisation that exists to support and help protect businesses.