Thursday 20 July 2023
“Cyber attackers don’t care if you are trying to save the earth”
Some companies put cybersecurity on the backburner. But speaking to an audience at the Big Zero Show, Detective Superintendent of the West Midlands Police, Vanessa Eyles, said: “The work that you are doing in aiming for sustainability, aiming for net zero is fantastic. We've all got to get on board with this.
“But that work would be devastated if you suffered a cyber-attack, because not only could your position be in jeopardy, but so could your team, your business, and you could make your clients, your supply chains vulnerable because of those cyber-attacks.”
She believes cybersecurity is important even for small businesses. She added: “Now you might think, well, they won't attack me. I haven't got very much cash in the bank. I'm a tiny business, I'm a tiny charity.
“But the reality is – they will hold your business to ransom and then say you need to pay £15,000 within 48 hours. Here is where you can do it on the dark web. So, you are spending money that you cannot afford, that you don't have.”
Cybersecurity, she said, is the equivalent to locking your doors and windows before you leave the house, it is essential to prevent crime.
Surprisingly, “Approximately 80% of cyber-attacks start with a phishing e-mail”: said Detective Eyles. She added: “Many phishing e-mail attacks will start in the supply chain in order to get through to the larger organisation.” So cybersecurity is important not just for your own business, but also to protect your clients and other companies that a part of the same supply chain, to make sure your business is reliable and trustworthy.
Her team at the West Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre works with businesses and academics to ensure better cyber awareness and security for both the private and public sectors. She added: “There are simple, easy steps. Your cyber resilience centre, which is police led, will help you become cyber safer so that all of your hard work towards being net zero is not for vain.”
How can cybersecurity help you reach your net zero goals? Watch the full video to find out.
