Kent County Council has launched a website to help the county’s businesses tackle the threat of cyber crime, following the recent cyber attacks on the NHS and big businesses around the world.
Companies and large organisations are prime targets for this type of activity, said the council – and the Federation of Small Businesses has reported that two-thirds of its members have been victims.
Those affected have each been victims on four occasions on average, costing their business nearly £3,000 in total.
To counter the threat and help protect Kent businesses, KCC has launched its cyber crime campaign at its website and social media pages.
The National Cyber Security Centre is warning that all businesses, small and large, need to take urgent steps to protect themselves from a cyber ransomware attack.
KCC’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, Mike Hill, said:
“The cyber security threat has become more complex – and each business must first understand what it means for them, determine their level of acceptable risk and identify key areas that need investment in cyber security.
“Most businesses will carry out risk assessments and insure key elements of their business – but IT equipment, online assets and data are often overlooked.
“Cyber crime can bring down an entire business, whether that is stolen intellectual property, commercially sensitive information, or operational data that can be encrypted by malware and held to ransom.
“That is why we have taken this action – to help protect Kent businesses from falling foul of this type of criminal activity.”
Nearly all of the UK’s 5.4 million small businesses rate the Internet as being highly important to their business, with two in three offering or planning to offer goods and services online.
If action is not taken, the council says the growing sophistication of cyber attacks could stifle small business growth – and, in the worst cases, close them down.
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