Lucid Systems, based in Hintlesham on the outskirts of Ipswich, is urging local businesses to prioritise disaster recovery drills following a damning report published by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) this morning.
The NCSC annual review (which has been published during Cybersecurity Awareness Month) has confirmed that a record 204 nationally significant cyberattacks were dealt with in the last 12 months. As a result, the UK government has taken the unprecedented step of writing to CEOs and business leaders, urging them to urgently review cyber safety and consider it a board-level priority.
Karl Wilkinson is the technical director at Lucid Systems. As Ipswich’s leading IT support company, Karl is the firm’s resident cybersecurity expert. He believes that the headline news, which confirms that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has handled an average of four ‘nationally significant’ cyberattacks every week in the year to September, is a clear indicator that being hacked is now a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
‘Can’t afford to sit back’
He says, “We’ve all heard the horrendous stories of what has happened to Marks and Spencer’s, the Co-Op and Jaguar Land Rover. But what’s not heard from is the impact on the wider supply chain and those small businesses that feed into these big brands. The national economy, and our regional economy, cannot afford to sit back and hope that you’re not going to be targeted. The reality is that you are almost certainly going to be targeted sooner than you think.”
“Last month, we held a cybersecurity event for local businesses in Ipswich. During the event, we asked our guests if they felt that their defences were strong enough to keep them safe from hackers, and it was telling that almost every single person in the room recognised that they needed to do more. But they are continually putting it to the bottom of their to-do list, even though they openly recognise that their business would fail to function without any access to their technology.”
According to recent statistics from the NFIB Fraud and Cyber Crime Dashboard*, there have been 467 reports of cybercrime reported to Suffolk police, this calendar year so far. This has resulted in reported cumulative losses to businesses and individuals of £23,600. This is just the reported cases, and actual losses are potentially much higher.
As a result, Lucid Systems is urgently reminding businesses in Suffolk that they need to invest more time and money into their cyber defences.
Proactive measures
Karl points out that proactive measures are far more cost-effective than remedial actions. “There are many easy-to-manage defence mechanisms we can put into place which will safeguard your business at little to no cost. For example, implementing stringent password controls, enabling MFA and limiting user access to all files and folders is straightforward for every-sized business. We recognise that many businesses have limited budgets, but if you lose access to your computers, then you’ll be spending a fortune trying to regain access to your systems and dealing with the fallout.”
“The NCSC has now launched a fantastic free toolkit for small businesses, microbusinesses and sole traders, which is worth looking at, because it is full of tailored advice to keep businesses safe. Businesses may also be eligible for free cyber insurance if they have a valid Cyber Essentials certificate, which is something that we can support local businesses with.”
While those are preventative measures, Lucid Systems believes that one of the best things that any business can do is to invest in a disaster recovery drill. This is where Lucid’s trained engineers will simulate a hypothetical data breach to see how far they can gain access to a company’s system before being detected. These disaster recovery drills allow firms to see what steps they need to take to protect their system and how quickly they can regain access to their data.
Karl concludes, “Our DR drills are designed to give businesses peace of mind. By identifying any weaknesses before an attack happens, we can mitigate issues and strengthen your cybersecurity. We know that many businesses already have disaster and continuity plans in place, but they might not be testing them to see if they actually work. Ideally, local businesses should be conducting disaster drills every year, because technology changes, software updates change, and different threat levels emerge. This is the biggest challenge that every business currently faces, so disaster recovery drills are no longer a luxury; they should be a vital part of your business operations.”
To book in for a disaster recovery drill or to request a free security audit from Lucid Systems, please visit www.lucidsystems.co.uk or phone 01473 355199
