Date Published: 3 April 2019

Is your business following Cyber Security Best Practice

Cyber Security is about protecting your information and your business from being compromised while online. If your using the internet your are at risk of a cyber-attack.

This can come in many forms - loss or corruption of data through bad practice, or from hackers who steal, trick or use ransom demands for payment of monies with various threats to you, your employees and even family.

Most business, in fact over a third of SMEs do not take proactive measures to protect against cyber attacks. The worst thing you can do is believe that your anti-virus software will do the trick.

Allianz Worldwide Partners (AWP) found that over half (56%) of Australian small businesses either don’t have cyber-crime protection, or assume it is covered through their business insurance; an alarming statistic considering that Australian small businesses ranked cyber risk as third on a list of key business risks, behind economic factors and cash flow.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman have prepared a Small Business Cyber Security Best Practice Guide  to assist small business owners by directing attention to:

•  expose the issue of cyber security, as it affects small businesses;
• demonstrate the importance of a cyber security policy for all small businesses using the internet;
• recommend best practice principles and actions to protect your business; and
• highlight the best places to go for more information

To further assist SMEs, the Australian Government have provided a StaySmartOnline website which has many relevant articles.

To compliment the practice guide, they have developed the Small Business Best Practice Research Paper  with more information on the recommended actions that small business adopt to become cyber secure.

Some common symptoms of a cyber-attack can include:

• Contacts receiving emails that you didn’t send
• High network activity when not in use
• Re-directed to unusual websites
• Unexpected pop-up windows
• Low on storage for no reason
• Computer fan running hard
• Home page changing
• Slow performance error messages

source: Allianz Worldwide Partners (AWP)