This week, Cornwall is hosting one of its most high-profile events ever – the G7 Summit which is taking place at Carbis Bay. Welcoming numerous leaders from some of the richest countries in the world, there is no question that this will certainly help put Cornwall on the global tourism map.
And this summer already looks set to be a financial winner for the region’s tourism sector. According to a recent RNLI survey, an estimated 30 million visitors are heading to the coast, with South West businesses gearing up for hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region in July and August, bringing £3.5 billion into the local economy and this looks set to increase.
Vince McConville, SWCRC Advisory Group Member and Digital Futures Sector Lead at Heard of South West LEP said:
So, as we work towards making the South West a safer, more COVID-free place for holidaymakers, what can businesses do make themselves more secure?
Cyber security has never been more critical. Cyber criminals are aware of the amount of valuable data organisations collate and that usually cyber security is an afterthought as owners are more focused on the day-to-day running of the business and are keeping an eye on costs. If they are able to obtain this type of information, a cyber criminal can use it for fraudulent activities, or to access funds.
So, how can you reduce your risk of a cyber attack?
Ensure any company devices use a private company network and public devices use a guest network. Keep devices on separate networks.
Ensure your operating systems are running the latest operating systems.
Educate your employees on phishing messages and ensure they know what do if one is accidentally clicked.
Make sure your third-party vendors such as payroll suppliers, loyalty programme providers or food delivery service providers are following adequate cyber security measures preferably the Cyber Essentials scheme.
Make sure your third party vendors that are processing or have access to consumer payment data are compliant with The Payment Card Industry Security Standard (PCI).
Ensure your password is a mix of 3 random words and store them securely using a password manager, not written on a napkin next to the till.
Use a firewall to keep malware infected devices from infecting others on your network. For example your back-office computer doesn’t need to communicate with the payment card reader, keeping them on separate networks will help in preventing malware reaching all your devices.
Businesses can sign up for free membership of the centre at www.swcrc.co.uk/membership, and get the basics in place to make themselves safer right now. After that, the team is there to help with any other cyber needs they might have, signposting them to affordable, accessible and reputable options, in a complicated world.
To keep updated with all the latest SWCRC developments, follow @southwestcrc on Twitter or LinkedIn.