Protect Your Business From Cyberattacks in the UK

Over the past few weeks, several well-known organisations have fallen victim to data breaches and cyberattacks, affecting customers, suppliers, children, and even critical operations. These incidents serve as a stark reminder that no business is immune. Protecting Your Business From Cyber Attacks is no longer optional; it’s a vital step in safeguarding your data, reputation, and business continuity. Taking proactive measures today can help prevent costly disruptions and ensure your organisation remains secure in an increasingly digital world.

Recent Incidents to Watch:

 

The automotive industry

A recent cyberattack forced a major automotive company to suspend operations and shut down critical systems during recovery and investigations. The incident highlights how even large, resource-rich organisations need strong access controls and constant monitoring to protect essential systems.

Retail sector

A prominent retailer experienced a breach through a third-party provider, exposing customer contact Information such as names and addresses. While financial data and account passwords were reportedly unaffected, the breach increased the risk of phishing, social engineering, and follow-on attacks using the leaked Information.

Education and childcare

A chain of nurseries fell victim to a cyberattack in which hackers accessed the personal Information of children, parents, carers, and staff. This demonstrates how non-financial data can still be highly valuable to attackers, potentially used for extortion, identity theft, or social engineering.

Key Lessons & What You Can Do Now:

Vigilance & User Education

  • Be suspicious of unsolicited requests — never give away credentials. Confirm requests via known channels, e.g., ask in person, call them on their usual number, or check with us if you’re unsure.
  • Be mindful of what you share publicly — avoid posting too much personal or company Information online.

Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere

  • Even if credentials are compromised, MFA provides a critical second line of defence.
  • Use strong MFA options (authenticator apps, hardware tokens) rather than SMS where possible.
  • Make MFA mandatory for access to critical systems, email, remote access, and admin portals.

Conditional Access & Zero Trust Principles

  • Limit access based on context (user, device, location, time).
  • Grant least privilege, only what’s necessary.
  • Require compliance (device health, patch status, antivirus) before granting access.

Strong Identity Protection & Account Hygiene

  • Use unique, strong passwords or passphrases for each account (don’t reuse).
  • Where available, favour passkeys / passwordless options as they mature.
  • Immediately disable or revoke credentials for users who leave the organisation or change roles.

Incident Readiness & Testing

  • Have an incident response plan, know who you’ll contact, how you’ll isolate, recover, and communicate.
  • Ensure backups are up-to-date, isolated, tested, and protected against tampering.
Protecting Your Business From Cyber Attacks

Protecting Your Business From Cyber Attacks

Why It Matters For You:

Even “non-core” services (third-party integrations, vendors) can be entry points, as seen in the Harrods case.
Data exposure doesn’t always look like payment theft; personal data, photos, and contacts can fuel future attacks.
The cost (financial, reputational, legal) of recovery is exponentially higher than the cost of prevention.
As your IT support partner, Cortec is here to help you secure access, enforce controls, and respond when things go wrong.

How Can We Help?

✅ Let us review your MFA & Conditional Access settings
✅ Ask us to audit your access policies and user permissions
✅ Interested in a managed phishing simulation or security training? Get in touch to discuss tailored options for your team.
Don’t wait until the subsequent major breach is in the headlines before taking action.
Reach out to Cortec today, together we can make your organisation a more challenging target.

Reliable Managed IT Support Across Kent

Cortec IT Solutions Ltd provides professional IT support to businesses across Kent, covering Orpington, Folkestone, Dartford, Maidstone, Canterbury, Medway, Sevenoaks, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, and nearby areas. We also offer a full suite of managed IT services in Kent, including:

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Category: News