Blackmail, extortion and identity theft might sound like something straight out of a blockbuster movie but cyber crime is not only a reality, it’s on the rise and research shows the average Kiwi business isn’t prepared.

Is New Zealand really under threat, we’re so far away!

Unfortunately ‘out of sight, out of mind’ doesn’t apply to cyber criminals.  More than a quarter of Kiwi businesses surveyed by Grant Thornton in 2017 faced a cyber-attack in the previous year, placing us eighth in the league table of 37 countries surveyed.

What can happen if I’m attacked?

Cyber security threats, which include data breach, insider threat, cyber bullying and more, can mean facing larger financial loss from reputational damage, theft of customer details and intellectual property, and infrastructural damage.

How much protection do I need?

It can be as simple as switching on two-step verification on your email but if you rely on sensitive data or store personal information about staff and customers, you’ll need to do more.  Being proactive could mean software updates, setting up logs, using cloud services (if you’re not already) and securing devices.

Unfortunately, it’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ your business will be attacked, so take action to protect your business.  To find out the best way to keep your business safe in 2019, give us a call.

Watch out for spam!

With the recent increase in spam emails supposedly from the IRD, keep an eye out for the subject heading: “GST returns due in 5 days”.  If you get one, delete it.