Cyber security – latest trends

We take cyber security very seriously and keep up to date with the latest stats, advice and upgrades. We thought it would be useful to share a brief update on the latest stats in cyber security that we’ve taken from the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation in their Cyber Security Survey 2024.

• An estimated 22% of businesses and 14% of charities have experienced cyber-crime in the last 12 months, rising to 45% of medium businesses, 58% of large businesses and 37% of high-income charities. 
• The most common type of breach or attack is phishing (84% of businesses and 83% of charities). This is followed, to a much lesser extent, by others impersonating organisations in emails or online (35% of businesses and 37% of charities) and then viruses or other malware (17% of businesses and 14% of charities).
• The most common cyber threats are relatively unsophisticated, so government guidance advises businesses and charities to protect themselves using a set of “cyber hygiene” measures which include updated malware protection, password policies, cloud back-ups, restricted admin rights and network firewalls. 
• It seems that the message about cyber-crime is getting through and organisations are taking it more seriously. Compared to 2023, the deployment of various controls and procedures has risen slightly among businesses:
  • using up-to-date malware protection (up from 76% to 83%)
  • restricting admin rights (up from 67% to 73%)
  • network firewalls (up from 66% to 75%)
  • agreed processes for phishing emails (up from 48% to 54%).

As part of the July 2024 King’s Speech, the Government announced it would introduce a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve the UK's cyber defences and protect essential public services. This will be introduced in 2025 and is in response to recent cyber-attacks affecting the NHS and Ministry of Defence showing the impacts can be severe. The Government recognises that laws have not kept pace with technological change and are taking action to address vulnerabilities and protect the digital economy to deliver growth. The Bill will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure critical infrastructure and the digital services companies rely on are secure. To read more, click here: https://tinyurl.com/bdz5kcnd

If tackling cyber security in your organisation all feels very overwhelming, what are the 8 key steps you can take right now?

1. Keep all software updated. 
2. Back up your most important data.
3. Create 3-word passwords or strong passwords.
4. Use multi-factor authentication.
5. Lock your screen when you step away from your desk.
6. Always check website links before clicking. If they don’t look quite right, don’t click.
7. Try and avoid public networks, use a VPN instead.
8. Delete access for people who leave your organisation.

To read more about each of our 8 top tips, and for further advice on website security, click here to our security information hub:

https://www.olamalu.com/information-security-hub

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We’re a friendly and down-to-earth team based in West Oxfordshire, who work together to achieve brilliant outcomes. We’ve been developing websites and designing tailor-made tech solutions for a huge range of different challenges for over 10 years.