Cyber-attacks are increasingly featuring in the mainstream media as they become an everyday part of our daily lives. We are being constantly bombarded with emails, post, calls and text messages from individuals and organisations trying to extort information or money from us. This comes in the form of malware, ransomware, phishing, bogus boss emails, fake invoices, premium rate phone numbers and identity theft. At times, it could just be a case of someone trying to hack into your computer simply for the challenge.
As a result, companies are having to invest more and more money to combat these threats, by improving their anti-virus software, providing training to their employees and investing in disaster recovery. The recent case involving the NHS highlights how even the largest organisations in the world are susceptible to these attacks. It also shows how much disruption can be caused if there is no ‘Plan B’ when computer systems are out of action.
With the ever-increasing technological integration of security products, this is becoming more relevant to the systems we install and maintain. This particularly relates to security systems that are linked to your router and are Cloud-based. Manufacturers are having to try and keep ahead by introducing improved security features, including more frequent software updates, encryption, safer passwords and login details, as well as making it more difficult and expensive for cyber-attacks to be launched in the first instance.
We recommend that all customers regularly have their systems serviced, as this can improve making software updates to your control panel or CCTV recorder. Always ensure that any passwords and user logins are changed from the manufacturers default and when using cloud-based Apps, always have anti-virus software running in the background. Lastly, always back up your data to a portable hard drive that you can use as a last resort.
