Lockdown: “Biggest ever cyber attack” warning for Plymouth businesses
The biggest ever cyber attack in history could hit Plymouth businesses before the end of the year – and it’s all because of the lockdown.
That’s the prediction from local IT and data security expert Martin Limburn of Limbtec.
He believes the urgent changes made to allow people to work from home have inadvertently opened up businesses’ data security.
“Hackers look for the easy way into any business,” Martin explained.
“It’s not just big businesses that are at risk. They use automated tools to look for weaknesses in all businesses, all the time.
“They only need to get into one computer to breach an entire network. Before lockdown, many local businesses were secure, simply because all the entry points into their systems were in one place – the office. That meant a high level of control.
“But now people are working from home on their own devices and WiFi connections. They might even be sharing a device with their family. And that’s created a huge amount of opportunity for hackers.”
Martin believes that all Plymouth businesses will need to devise a hybrid solution going forward.
That means helping all staff to work safely and securely, whether they’re at their workplace or at home.
Depending on the levels of security needed, that might mean:
- Everyone has a business laptop
- Using multi factor authentication, where you generate a login code on your mobile
- Separate secure WiFi connection at home
- Higher levels of access security
- Martin Limburn is available for further information and interview, on 07771993016
Martin added: “I’ve helped businesses that have been hacked, and it’s just horrible. Even if you have solid backups, it’s days of disruption, hassle and worry. And it’s expensive to fix, too”.
Limbtec was formed in 2002, and now looks after hundreds of local businesses in the Plymouth area.
