A Scottish cyber security firm helping businesses combat the rising threat of cybercrime is hosting an event to support a national campaign.
Resilience, part of Annan-based Eco Group, will mark Cyber Scotland Week by hosting businesses and organisations at a cyber security event at Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton Campus, Dumfries on February 27.
Resilience, which officially launched this month, pledges to bring a new approach to protect businesses and organisations from the fast-changing and ever more complex techniques used by cyber criminals.
There have been high profile cyber attacks in recent years on Scottish organisations such as on the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in 2020, and on the NHS Dumfries and Galloway last year.
The number of attacks on public bodies in Scotland is also on the increase with 16 attacks in 2024, up more than 50 per cent on previous years, according to Scottish Government figures.
Resilience is keen to highlight that SMEs are also among the most vulnerable, and it stresses how important it is for those businesses to get up to speed with the latest protection before it’s too late.
Cyber criminals launch thousands of phishing attacks on a single organisation every day. They are looking for one weak spot, one person in an organisation who falls for their scam.
Without the latest protection businesses and organisations who fall prey to cyber criminals can at best have their operations suspended costing them thousands, and sometimes millions of pounds. At worst they can be shut down and put out of business completely.
Ryan Moffat, head of Resilience, said: “State-sponsored cybercriminals from a range of countries want to disrupt operations in the UK. They will target any business and organisation, including those across Scotland, with thousands of automated attacks in the hope of one getting through and giving them access into an organisation and all their data.
“I know of cases where businesses are receiving 10,000 phishing attacks every day.
“We are not just talking big corporate organisations. We are talking small and medium sized operations because cyber criminals know these organisations are likely to have more weak spots in their defences.
“The criminals want to access as much information about you and your business as possible - who your customers are, who your suppliers are, they want to disrupt your entire operations.
“It only takes one person to click on a link and they are into your data and your systems with access to information on all your people and all your business connections.”
The absolute key for businesses across Scotland is to not let the cyber criminals into their systems in the first place. To achieve that, not only must an organisation’s cyber security be watertight, but every person who works there must be trained to know when an email, a text, a social media message is safe, and when it’s a fraud.
That involves training every member of a team about the threats, what damage they can do, and crucially how to spot and prepare for AI, phishing and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) attacks and prevent the cyber criminals from winning.
“Every single person has a part to play in maintaining cyber security. It’s vital that everyone in an organisation knows what is safe and what isn’t,” said Ryan who brings the latest thinking and research to his role to help ensure businesses have the most effective protection.
A graduate of one of the UK’s leading cyber security courses at Abertay University in Dundee - Ryan keeps up to date with all there is to know about the fast-evolving world of cybercrime from every angle - the criminal, the police, the business owner - and knows how best to defend businesses against it.
Resilience is already supporting clients against cyber criminals in a range of sectors including healthcare, professional services, travel and logistics.
Resilience is part of Eco Group which, led by founder and MD Eddie Black, specialises in Contract Manufacturing, Organic Brand Manufacturing, and Services to Manufacturing across a diverse range of industries.
From its impressive, self-built, 3,000-square-metre HQ in Annan, Eco companies offer an array of innovative products and services tailored to meet the needs of commercial, industrial, public sector, and residential customers throughout the UK.
Book here for Resilience’s Cyber Security event at Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton campus, Dumfries on Thursday, February 27, 9:30am – 11:30am: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-a-resilient-dumfries-and-galloway-cyber-security-starts-here-tickets-1226360600569?aff=oddtdtcreator
For further information about Eco Group visit teameco.co.uk or follow Eco Group on social media. For inquiries call 01461 500 206 or email: hello@teameco.co.uk.