Hampshire's Hantec Systems say hundreds of UK businesses at risk of cyber attack

Insufficient or non-existent security measures mean hundreds of UK businesses could potentially be at risk of cyber attack.

This is according Hannah Wallis, of Hampshire-based standards consultancy Hantec Systems, who pointed to the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 which found only 23 per cent of businesses have a formal cyber security strategy in place.

Hannah said that firms which have no preventative measures in place are exposing themselves to cyber attackers, a problem amplified by the prevalence of working from home and ‘bring your own device to work’ schemes.

Cyber attacks can heavily damage business through loss of personal and business data, loss of money and disruption to trading.

Worryingly, the survey found that, in the past year, 39 per cent of UK businesses identified a cyber-attack. As recently as 11 August a ransomware attack hit NHS systems which could take up to four weeks to fix.

Ransomware attacks are designed to deny a user or organisation access to files on their computer, usually demanding a financial payment to restore access.

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Hannah said: “We are urging business leaders to implement security measures into their business. A cyber attack can have detrimental consequences for businesses, particularly small to medium sized firms. It can also be very scary for the employees involved.

“The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 highlighted that not enough businesses are protecting themselves, and as compliance consultants we feel it is our duty to make people aware of the risks of cyber attacks.

“Many people and business owners think they will see a cyber attack coming and know the signs to look out for. But without a formal cyber security strategy in place a business could be increasing its risk of an attack.

“Research found that only 8 per cent of businesses have a Cyber Essentials certification which is critical to reducing the risk of an attack. Act now before it is too late.”

Cyber Essentials is a UK certification which ensures an organisation has the minimum level of protection in cyber security. A company is certificated through annual assessments to maintain certification.

With cyber attacks on the rise, a number of firms in the Thames Valley are developing technology to fight back. Read more - Innovating cyber security companies to watch in the Thames Valley