“2m Brits were victims of cyber crime last year” – Cyber Aware
The impact of cyber crime
It’s clear from this statistic alone that cyber crime is getting more sophisticated. The victim toll is rising, and the level of destruction is too.
We’ve discussed the consequences of compromised cyber security on businesses before. But let’s not forget how cyber crime has a devastating effect on individuals too.
As part of their latest campaign, Cyber Aware spoke to Alison Marriott, a victim of email hacking. She lost control over her email accounts. Emails were being sent to contacts, causing her a ‘great deal of embarrassment’. More than that, it’s a huge inconvenience to deal with the aftermath of an attack. Luckily for Alison, it only took ‘days’ to sort out. Yet the time to rebuild a business can stretch over a much longer period.
Lock all doors
The reality is that Alison is one of the two million victims out there; her story is relatable to many. Perhaps you know someone who’s been a victim of email hacking. Maybe you’ve even had to deal with it yourself.
Neil Masters, National Lead for Fraud and Economic Cyber Crime at Victim Support, is only too aware of the long-term consequences of cyber crime: ‘Cyber crime is not about financial loss for victims, it can affect people in a variety of ways. In cases of identity fraud, a ripple effect is often triggered, leaving people struggling with psychological and physical health issues.’
Many of us haven’t yet had to give cyber crime a second thought. But by reading the effects on victims, it’s worth taking online security seriously.
We’d never leave our front door unlocked if we went out. It’s about time we all started treating our online homes in the same way.
Staying safe starts now
‘82% of households have double locks or deadlocks, but only 32% of Brits follow government advice to use 3 random words to create a password.’
There are steps you can start taking right now to protect your online identity. They’re simple too – as easy as locking your door.
The first is to create strong passwords. Remember, different accounts need different passwords, and need updating regularly too.
Here’s another one that’s often overlooked – downloading the latest software and app updates. These vital updates provide protection against the latest threats targeted at their software.
As an award-nominated Cyber Aware partner, Majenta Solutions are dedicated to delivering best-in-class security solutions primarily to the Automotive and Aerospace industries to provide entire supply-chain solutions for secure data exchange.