CYBERCRIME – including hacking, bogus emails, malicious software and other computer attacks – is costing the UK more than £190,000 every day.
Now businesses, organisations and individuals are being offered help to become more cyber aware with the launch today of Cyber Scotland Week – a programme of more than 100 seminars, presentations and networking opportunities.
It is being delivered by the Scottish Government and ScotlandIS, with a host of supporting partners, and comes amid a rising number of attacks.
Data has indicated that one in four cyber attacks last year was related to Covid-19; the total number of attacks this year is up by a fifth compared to the annual average since 2016; and the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a five-fold increase in attacks on its systems in 2020 compared to the previous year.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) defended the country from an average of 60 attacks every month in 2020, a year that saw much of its resources proactively focused on the coronavirus response.
It also received 2.3 million reports from the public in the first four months of the Covid-19 pandemic – which resulted in thousands of malicious websites being taken down.
Many malicious attacks begin by infiltrating a single IoT (Internet of Things) device – any of a number of “smart” devices connected to a network – and can end up affecting thousands, or even millions more.
CENSIS, the Scottish innovation centre involved in the development of cyber security solutions for IoT networks and which is one of the partners involved in Cyber Scotland Week, warned: “As we become increasingly reliant on IoT in our daily lives, the risks of connecting devices to each other and to the internet have increased, and the security of IoT devices is a hotly debated issue.”
Earlier this month, it launched IoT Secure to help Scots firms deliver cyber-secure IoT products and services.
Cade Wells, CENSIS cyber-security lead, said then: “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to cyber security and IoT, so we will work closely with chosen companies to develop a bespoke programme of support to meet their needs. Start-ups and early-stage companies are encouraged to apply, as they can also benefit from further support that goes beyond the initial consultation, helping to meet specific goals.”
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