31 January 2019
In time for Safer Internet Day on 5 February 2019, Business Secretary Greg Clark has announced that the government will invest £70 million into making the UK a world leader in eliminating some of the most damaging cyberthreats.
The aim of the investment is to ‘design in’ security and protection technology into hardware and chip designs to ensure that every UK organisation is as cyber secure and resilient as possible. This means that hair and beauty businesses will benefit from increased cybersecurity and protections built into digital devices and online services. A further £30 million of government investment is earmarked for ensuring smart systems are safe and secure.
Nearly all UK businesses are reliant on digital technology and online services. Yet according to the government, more than 40% have experienced a cybersecurity breach or attack in the last 12 months. As a result, businesses are having to spend increasing amounts on cybersecurity.
We encourage all business owners to think seriously about cybercrime and the simple steps they can take to protect themselves
Hilary Hall, NHBF chief executive said, “A recent survey of our members found that over half had been victims of cybercrime, with salons reporting credit/debit card fraud, phone call scams, phishing emails, ransomware attacks and viruses. Nearly half of those resulted in a direct financial loss, so investment in cybersecurity can’t come soon enough. We encourage all business owners to think seriously about cybercrime and the simple steps they can take to protect themselves such as regularly updating their software, using strong passwords, backing up data and being very suspicious about unprompted phone calls, emails and invoices, especially any which contain links.”
For further information, visit the GOV.UK website.