Tees Business Issue 42 | Page 86

I. T. ADVICE
Cornerstone Business Solutions managing director Chris Petty on the importance of protecting your business from expensive and damaging cyber-attacks...

Cyber-attacks are surging

– is your business next?

In recent months, the UK has seen a disturbing spike in cyber-attacks – and no one is safe. Major names such as the British Library, Royal Mail, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Derry City Council and even DPD have all fallen victim to increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals.

These aren’ t isolated incidents – they’ re part of a growing trend that’ s targeting everyone from global logistics providers to local councils and small businesses.
The attack on the British Library left its systems offline for weeks, wiping out access to digital catalogues and personal user data.
Royal Mail suffered a ransomware attack in 2023 that disrupted international deliveries, costing millions. DPD was hit again in early 2024, leaving customers vulnerable and businesses scrambling.
Meanwhile, according to Fox News, more than 1.7bn passwords have now been leaked and are actively circulating on the dark web – a staggering statistic that highlights how widespread credential theft has become. If your email and passwords aren’ t protected or monitored, your business could already be exposed.
Closer to home, Teesside Live reported that an arrest has been made at a Middlesbrough address in relation to a massive £ 7.5m fraud case.
Cleveland Police described it as“ one of the biggest investigations into computer misuse and fraud” it had ever conducted. It’ s a clear sign that cybercrime is happening right here, in our own backyard.
These events aren’ t just inconvenient – they’ re expensive, damaging to reputations and in some cases, legally disastrous.
With the average cost of a UK cyber breach for SMEs now exceeding £ 19,400, the question is no longer if you’ ll be targeted, but when.
That’ s why being cyber-aware is not just good practice, it’ s critical to your survival.
At Cornerstone Business Solutions, we’ re already helping businesses of all sizes take proactive steps to stay secure.
Our dedicated cybersecurity team works with you to implement realworld, cost-effective protection – from advanced firewalls and endpoint detection to user training, compliance audits and 24 / 7 threat monitoring.
We assess your current risks, design a bespoke cybersecurity stack and even liaise with insurers, ensuring you’ re not only protected, but positioned to recover quickly if something does get through.
We’ ve already delivered lots of cybersecurity consultancy this year and
OUR DEDICATED CYBERSECURITY TEAM WORKS WITH YOU TO IMPLEMENT REAL-WORLD, COST-EFFECTIVE PROTECTION
our clients are now among the most resilient in the region.
The attackers are getting smarter. So must you. Don’ t wait for a breach to start taking security seriously.
Let Cornerstone Business Solutions be the team that protects your future.
W: cornerstonebs. co. uk E: info @ cornerstonebs. co. uk
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