Cyber security and cyber crime are not just scary terms used in our everyday language. Unfortunately, these have become part of our everyday lives. Not just in business, but also in our personal lives..

Don’t believe me? Check your personal email here: https://haveibeenpwned.com/ …you might be surprised!

I bet some results will have you scratching your head, asking yourself: when did I register on that website that got hacked in 2017? Did I use my usual password? What does this mean for me now?

According to gov.uk cyber crime has cost (us) an estimated £87BN since 2015.

What this means for your wallet?

Well that’s roughly £264.. a year! Every one of us. Every year.

…And it is growing!

It also has one of the lowest detection rates, and please trust me when I say that nobody is immune. Even myself, several of my accounts were breached in 3^rd party hacks on some websites and services – and I’m very familiar with Cyber security.

The good old saying in Cyber security is: it’s not IF you’re going to get hacked, it’s WHEN.

All we can do is protect ourselves best we can.

Present ourselves as a tough target in hope that cyber criminal will move on to attack a “low hanging fruit” by using one, few or all of the following.

1. Unique passwords for each service
2. Multiple factor authentication.. no matter how long and tedious it may get
3. Physical authentication keys
4. Use up to date software and operating systems
5. Be aware and be diligent…

Over next few weeks I aim to deliver a comprehensive, practical and down to earth guideline detailing how to protect yourself and your SMB against cyber crime. I’ll cover several subjects including

• How to raise cyber awareness
• Types of hacks and cyber threats
• Strong passwords, password managers and password policies
• Access control policies
• Firewalls in the office and for a distributed workforce
• Types of security software and systems
• How to spot and monitor intrusions
• How to keep your systems up to date
• …and what to do once you were hacked.

Be sure to check it out.