Employees in Chichester are the biggest threat to company cyber security

Businesses in Chichester are being warned that their employees pose the biggest threat to their cyber and data security.
By Sam Pole
Published 23rd Jun 2022, 11:39 BST
Updated 23rd Jun 2022, 11:43 BST
Businesses in Chichester are being warned that their employees pose the biggest threat to their cyber and data security. Picture from PixabayBusinesses in Chichester are being warned that their employees pose the biggest threat to their cyber and data security. Picture from Pixabay
Businesses in Chichester are being warned that their employees pose the biggest threat to their cyber and data security. Picture from Pixabay

That’s because they’re most likely to fall for the scams that give cyber criminals access to confidential company data, including financial details.A local HR expert is urging businesses to place a higher emphasis on training employees in the importance of good cyber security measures, as well as teaching them the warning signs of a scam.Ian Moore owns and runs Lodge Court in Chichester. He said: “Cyber-crime is becoming more prevalent, with many businesses falling victim every year.“While, sadly, it’s inevitable that a company will be targeted by cyber criminals at some point, there are lots of things you can do to keep protected from a serious incident.“And one of the best things you can do is to train everyone - from the most senior position to the most junior - on cybercrime prevention. Your employees are the most serious threat to falling for a scam, so you need to give them the right tools to be able to spot a potential threat.”Phishing emails are a very common form of scam. That’s where an email is sent to one of your employees asking them to either click a link and fill out some sensitive information, or to download a document.

Cybercriminals typically pretend to be reputable companies, friends, or acquaintances in a fake message, which contains a link to a phishing website.They are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it’s much more difficult to identify a scam email from a genuine one - often the emails are designed to look like they’re coming from a well-known company or even a contact.Ian said: “Once an employee takes the desired action, they’ve potentially allowed a cyber criminal access to your network. That means they can access your data and take what they like.

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“In some cases, they may even steal your data and hold you to ransom to get it back - and the demand can reach hundreds of thousands of pounds.”He added, “Recovering from a cyberattack is expensive business too. Not only is there the cost to put everything right, but you lose a lot of productivity while the threat is being contained. And if data is stolen, you also risk losing the trust of your customers.

“And it’s not just computers you need to consider either. Our mobile phones are at risk, and because most of us use them to access work data, they are a threat too.

“I would recommend regular cyber security training is placed high on your agenda this year, to keep your business data protected and to save your business lots of time and money.”

For a short time, Lodge Court is offering local businesses a free HR Health Check to help make sure that you are taking the right steps to keep your business protected from all kinds of threats.

Appointments can be arranged by visiting https://lodgecourt.ac-page.com/freehealthcheck

Lodge Court was formed in 2015 and outsources a full range of HR services to local businesses.