All businesses ‘a potential target’

All businesses are “a potential target” for lethal cyber-attacks, a data chief has warned.

Small, large and medium-sized business administration networks are all at risk of e-crime if they do not take the appropriate action, according to Graham Bye of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC).

Cyber essentials coordinator at SBRC, Mr Bye claims that taking preventative measures with cyber security can help prevent the “most common attacks” facing networks.

He said: “All businesses and organisations are a potential target, particularly if they do not take simple precautionary measures to protect themselves.

“Any company with an IT network could be at risk of an attack and computerised systems – payroll, marketing, booking systems and databases, for example, could all be compromised.

“Cyber-attacks are also a real risk to the third sector, from a small and locally run playgroup which holds a database of personal details, to larger charities delivering services to vulnerable adults.”

Mr Bye was endorsing Cyber Essentials as the “baseline standard” in cyber security yesterday, helping to prevent the most common attacks by implementing five basic network controls and practicing good cyber hygiene.