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Hacking and How It Can Affect Your Business

Hardly a day seems to go by without there being a story on the web or in the press of an embarrassing data breach at a business.

No business, no industry and no sector is immune. Size doesn’t protect you. Hackers will attempt to breach all kinds of systems on a regularly basis, from big hits like the FBI to embarrassing hacks of well-known telecommunications company.

The effects can be catastrophic…

Disruption and Stress

The latest hack affected NHS hospitals and clinics all over England. Ransomware is when your IT system is locked. To get your important and valuable data back will cost you money – the ransom - unless you have other means of getting through the wall.

NHS England blamed the catastrophic issues on old software, with poor security protocols. Whatever the reason, the disruption to the medical staff and their patients was huge. Operations were cancelled, appointments postponed and all but essential services could operate.

It was a hack that affected not only NHS England, but government agencies and bodies throughout the many countries, including Russia and New Zealand.

Depending on the level of the hack and how much it penetrates, it can take weeks, sometimes months to deal with the mess a hacker leaves behind.

Loss of business and working days

For a business, a lockdown or hacked system means hours, days and possibly week of lost business coupled with less productive working days.

It is not until we can no longer use the IT system that we realise how much the smooth functioning of a business depends on it. When there is no system or only a partial system to work with, the working day becomes a lot less efficient.

Loss in revenue can be difficult for a business to recover from and, in the current tough trading conditions, it is not a situation that any business would welcome.

Reputation

For any business, a data breach or system hack is damaging to its reputation.

There is, of course, an ethical argument too. Hackers are the ones who are performing the intentional deed if breaking in to a system and thieving data etc.

Certainly, the breach of NHS England systems suggested that hackers have scant regard for the lives and safety of others.

But there are IT experts who believe that if companies, businesses, organisation and government bodies took control of their IT systems, improved security and updated their systems regularly, these breaches and hacks would not be so prominent.

Even though a breach may  not ‘your fault’ directly, a business must take responsibility and be proactive in preventing hacks and breaches. How proactive are you in preventing hacks?