It isn’t just your physical property which is vulnerable to criminals on dark winter nights – your digital footprint is at risk too.
Now we have hit November the online shopping spree in the run up to Christmas ramps up with Black Friday just one of the key dates in the calendar.
Experts who study the behaviour of cyber criminals know this period is rife with those trying to steal your digital data.
In our rush to grab a bargain or secure the gift we know our loved ones will cherish, our guard can be let down and we can end up giving away far more than Christmas gifts – we could have our bank accounts cleaned out, our identities stolen, and the businesses we work for effectively shut down.
Many of us might use an email address linked to work, and that means letting intruders in, not just to your business or organisation you work for, but to every supplier and every contact. The moment that happens it will already be too late to slam the digital door shut. The damage will be done.
Ryan Moffat, who is leading Eco Group’s new Resilience division, keeps up to date with all there is to know about the fast-evolving world of cybercrime from every angle – the criminal, the police, the business owner – and knows how best to defend you and your business against it.
Cyber criminals launch thousands of phishing attacks on a single organisation every day. They are looking for one weak spot, one person who falls for their scam.
Ryan said: “I know of cases where businesses are receiving 10,000 phishing attacks every day. We are not talking big corporate organisations. We are talking small and medium sized operations because cyber criminals know these organisations are likely to have more weak spots in their defences.
“They want to access as much information about you as possible. Who your customers are, who your suppliers are, they want to disrupt your entire operations.
“It only takes one person to click on a link and they are into your data and your systems with access to information on all your people and all your business connections.
“Black Friday is an obvious time when scams are at their peak as the criminals know all the tricks on how to get people to click a link when their guard is down.
“Christmas itself is also a vulnerable time when individuals and businesses can leave themselves open to scams, because their normal protocols are not adhered to. They might be closed for a period or be on a skeleton staff, and those who haven’t been trained in what to look out for might be the ones given authority to keep the business running.”
The absolute key is to not let the cyber criminals into your systems in the first place. To achieve that, not only must an organisation’s cyber security be watertight, but each and every person who works there must be trained to know when an email, a text, a social media message is safe, and when it’s a fraud.
Jenny Woolgar Photography
That involves training every member of a team about the threats, what damage they can do, and crucially how to spot and prepare for AI, phishing and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) attacks and prevent the cyber criminals from winning.
“Every single person has a part to play in maintaining cyber security. It’s vital that everyone in an organisation knows what is safe and what isn’t.
“Russia, China and North Korea want to disrupt operations in the UK. They will target any individual with thousands of automated attacks in the hope of one getting through and giving them access into an organisation and all their data.”
Ryan is working for Eco Group, based in Dumfries and Galloway, which supports businesses throughout the UK in the public, private and third sectors.
Resilience is supporting clients against cyber criminals in a growing number of sectors including healthcare, professional services, and logistics.
For information on how to protect your business and your staff from cyber criminals contact Ryan Moffat resilience@teameco.co.uk
About ECO Group:
Resilience is part of Eco Group which delivers quality, innovative solutions for clients across a range of sectors throughout the UK.
From its impressive, self-built, 3,000-square-metre HQ in Annan, Eco companies offer an array of innovative products and services tailored to meet the needs of commercial, industrial, public sector, and residential customers.
Led by founder and MD Eddie Black, its services include:
Integrity IT Solutions – a team of experts keep your business safe with the latest cyber-secure technology and communications.
EcoGoZero – supporting businesses to make the transition to net zero through innovative, affordable and accessible solutions, including VASO Build Limited, a world-first circular housebuilding innovation.
Eco Dry Ice – UK industry leaders in dry ice blasting – with 13 years of experience in providing award-winning, innovative and sustainable cleaning solutions.
For further information about Eco Group visit teameco.co.uk or email : hello@teameco.co.uk
