SMEs and sole traders without large IT budgets are often seen as soft targets but there are cost-effective ways in which to protect your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common forms of cyber attack are malware, ransomware, and phishing. Malware is an umbrella term for malicious software that aims to damage your computer, server, or network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Viruses and ransomware are also considered types of malware and infect your computer and other devices, leaving your system vulnerable. Ransomware works like a virus but is usually delivered through a phishing email and essentially holds your system hostage until a sum is paid, usually in a cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phishing is a type of scam that tricks people into clicking links that appear legitimate – but are anything but. Clicking the link infects your device with malware and once your system is infected, cybercriminals can attempt to steal sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2192 It’s important to offer training<\/a> to employees to be more security conscious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 It sounds like common sense, but makes sure your employees create strong passwords<\/a> and reset them on a regular schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 Employees should be regularly made aware of \u2018red flags\u2019 and what to look out for in phishing emails and malicious files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 It’s also important to keep devices, software, and browsers up to date<\/a> and establish clear guidelines for internet use at work. It should be a given that business Wi-Fi networks are secure, encrypted, and hidden, but also make sure your router is password protected (ensuring this password is changed from the default!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 As an SME or sole trader, it\u2019s also important to back up your files<\/a> which will be a lifeline if you are attacked. Automatic backups on a schedule take some of the hassles away but having an offline backup option is also a good idea in case of a cyberattack that closes down cloud access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NEBRC is available to help SMEs across the North East, Yorkshire and The Humber set up robust cyber security. Get in touch today to discuss free membership<\/a><\/strong> and tailored support<\/strong><\/a> for your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SMEs and sole traders without large IT budgets are often seen as soft targets but there are cost-effective ways in which to protect your business….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crcnetwork-cfkr6.projectbeta.co.uk\/northeastcrc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Need some help? Then look no further\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n