Help at hand from Trading Standards in battle against cyber-crime

Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards offer plenty of guidance to businesses in the ongoing battle to thwart cyber-crime.

And an audience of more than 50 people, business owners and their employees, benefited from a recent free cyber-crime data-security advice and education event - ‘Phish and Chips’ - at Warwick Racecourse.

Organised by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards, The Federation of Small Businesses and the National Cyber Skills Centre, the event was open to all Warwickshire small business owners

Janet Faulkner, Head of Warwickshire Trading Standards, said: “Cyber Crime is a serious and growing threat, both to High Street and Online businesses and it was very pleasing to see so many business owners attend the 'Phish and Chips' event.

"Warwickshire Trading Standards will continue to work in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses and other organisations to help ensure that that Warwickshire businesses receive the help and support they need to tackle cyber-crime.”

Ian O’Donnell, FSB Chairman for Warwickshire and Coventry, said:

“Data is the lifeblood of any business.  If it falls into the wrong hands the consequences range from business disruption right the way through to business failure.  Protecting data has to become a habit, just like setting the alarm, or wearing a seatbelt.  There are many easy, no, or low cost measures businesses can take to build their data security without breaking the bank.”

Dr. Stephen Wright, general manager of the National Cyber Skills Centre said: “Cyber Security sounds like a big scary subject.Our aim is to demystify it so that at the end of the event you have a good idea of what you need to do.”

Follow Warwickshire Trading Standards ten tips and make a start toward protecting your business from online fraudsters.

 1.      Ensure the computers you use have a firewall that is turned on and anti-virus software that is up to date. Businesses may wish to consider using software designed specifically for business, as opposed to that commonly used by consumers. Secure your wireless network.

 2.      Keep all your software up to date. When companies find vulnerabilities in their software, updates are used to patch these security holes. Keeping the software running on your computers up to date will help you to protect yourself from malware.

 3.      Back up all your data so it can be easily restored if something goes wrong.

 4.      Use strong passwords. All passwords should be at least eight characters long and should incorporate both letters and numbers. Use different passwords for each account, and change them regularly. Do not share passwords or write them down where other people could access them.

 5.      Limit staff access to online accounts to only those who really need it.

 6.      Train your staff. Many frauds happen because staff fall victim to phishing and similar scams, allowing fraudsters to download malware on to a business’s computers. Malware can then automatically capture passwords and credit card numbers. Have clear and concise procedures for email, internet and mobile devices. Staff should also be kept up to date on the latest scams.

 7.      Security test your business website on a regular basis.

 8.      Ensure your business has a contingency plan if it falls victim to cybercrime and test these regularly.

 9.      Keep your business computing and personal computing separate. Do not allow your staff to use using your business computers for personal use, for example accessing social media websites, checking personal emails or surfing the web. We are all likely to be less vigilant when using computers for personal use, increasing the threat of a successful cyber-attack.

* If you are using cloud services to carry out your business, check the provider’s credentials and the contract you have with them.