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182 articles published

Callback Phishing: When Scammers Get Your Staff to Call Them

Callback phishing — also called TOAD (Telephone-Oriented Attack Delivery) — is a scam where criminals send a realistic-looking email with a phone number instead of a link, then social-engineer victims over the phone into handing over access or payment. It bypasses email security filters and is growing fast in the UK. Here's how it works and how to defend against it.

NAS Security for UK Small Businesses: Protecting Synology and QNAP from Ransomware

Network-attached storage devices from Synology and QNAP are convenient, affordable, and frequently targeted by ransomware. Around 250,000 NAS devices are exposed to the public internet without adequate protection. This guide covers the specific risks, what attackers are after, and the configuration changes that meaningfully reduce your exposure.

Security Awareness Training Platforms for UK Small Businesses: KnowBe4, Proofpoint, and Hoxhunt Compared

Phishing simulation and security awareness training platforms reduce the risk of staff clicking malicious emails by 60–70%. This guide compares KnowBe4, Proofpoint Security Awareness Training, Mimecast Awareness Training, and Hoxhunt for UK small businesses — covering pricing, UK-specific content, phishing simulation quality, and what to look for before you buy.

Shadow IT: The Unauthorised Apps Putting Your Business Data at Risk

Shadow IT — staff using personal apps and tools for work without IT approval — is one of the most common data loss vectors in small businesses. Here's what it looks like, why it happens, and how to get it under control without banning everything useful.

Your Business Website Has Been Hacked: What to Do in the First 24 Hours

Finding out your business website has been compromised is stressful, but the steps to recover are straightforward if you know them. This guide covers how to identify what happened, contain the damage, clean up, and stop it happening again — without needing a technical background.

Cybersecurity for UK Hair and Beauty Salons: What You Actually Need to Do

Hair and beauty salons hold customer contact details, booking history, and card payment data — and most have almost no cybersecurity in place. This guide covers the specific risks facing salons, what to prioritise, and what you can do this week without technical knowledge.

Subject Access Requests: What UK Small Businesses Must Know

Under UK GDPR, anyone can ask your business for a copy of their personal data. You have 30 days to respond. Here's exactly how to handle it — including what you must share, what you can withhold, and what the ICO expects.

Cybersecurity for UK Gyms, Sports Clubs, and Fitness Businesses

Gyms and sports clubs handle member payment data, personal health information, and CCTV footage that make them targets for cyber criminals. Here's a practical security guide for fitness businesses without a dedicated IT team.

Windows 10 Reached End of Life. Is Your Business Still Running It?

Microsoft stopped providing free security updates for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Millions of UK small businesses are still running it in mid-2026. Here's what that actually means for your security, what Microsoft is offering in the interim, and what your real options are.

Cybersecurity for UK Charities: Protecting Donor Data and Sensitive Records

UK charities hold valuable donor data, sensitive beneficiary records, and often have limited IT budgets and volunteer-dependent workforces — making them attractive targets for fraud and ransomware. This guide covers the specific threats charities face and the free and low-cost tools available.

Cybersecurity for UK Events and Entertainment Businesses

Venues, promoters, ticketing platforms, and event production companies handle high-value payment data, large customer databases, and time-critical operational systems that make them attractive targets. This guide covers the specific cyber risks facing UK events and entertainment businesses and the practical steps to address them.

AI Invoice Fraud Is Targeting UK SMEs: Here's How to Spot It

Fraudsters are using AI to create perfect-looking fake invoices, clone supplier voices, and deepfake video calls. UK businesses lost £49 million to invoice fraud in 2024. Here's what to watch for and how to protect your payments.

Using AI Tools at Work: GDPR Data Minimisation Guidance for UK SMEs

UK small businesses are using AI tools for everything from drafting emails to analysing customer data — but most aren't thinking about the GDPR obligations that come with it. Here's what data minimisation means in practice when AI is involved.

UK PSTI Act: What Small Businesses Selling Connected Products Need to Know in 2026

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 has been in force since April 2024. If your small business manufactures, imports, or distributes smart devices in the UK -- from smart speakers to baby monitors to routers -- you have legal obligations under it. Here's what's required and what the penalties look like.

Cybersecurity for UK Law Firms and Solicitors: What the SRA Expects in 2026

UK law firms are high-value ransomware and mandate fraud targets. Solicitors hold privileged client communications, deal in large financial transactions, and work under SRA professional conduct obligations that extend to data security. Here's what good looks like — and what the regulator expects.

Gift Card Scams Targeting UK Small Businesses: How to Spot and Stop Them

Gift card fraud is one of the simplest and most effective scams hitting UK small businesses. An attacker impersonates a director and asks a staff member to buy gift cards urgently. The cards are redeemed before anyone realises. Here's how it works and how to stop it.

Quishing: How QR Code Phishing Bypasses Email Security Filters

QR code phishing — quishing — has become a significant business email threat because it moves the malicious link off-screen and defeats URL scanning. Here's how the attacks work, why traditional email security misses them, and what small businesses can do about it.

Cloudflare Zero Trust Free Tier: A Practical Guide for Small Businesses

Cloudflare Zero Trust offers a free tier covering up to 50 users that includes secure remote access, DNS filtering, and browser isolation — capabilities that would cost thousands annually from enterprise vendors. Here's what you actually get, how to set it up, and what the limits are.

Cryptojacking: When Your Computers Are Mining Cryptocurrency for Someone Else

Cryptojacking is the unauthorised use of your computers, servers, or cloud accounts to mine cryptocurrency. It doesn't steal your data, but it drains compute resources, inflates cloud bills, and often signals a broader compromise. Here's what UK small businesses should know.

QR Code Phishing (Quishing): What UK Small Businesses Need to Know

QR code phishing — quishing — bypasses email security filters by hiding malicious URLs inside images. UK small businesses are being targeted through fake parking payment QR codes, fraudulent supplier invoices, and compromised printed materials. Here's how to spot it and what to do.

Lost or Stolen Work Laptop: What Small Businesses Need to Do

A work laptop going missing is a potential data breach, not just an insurance claim. This guide walks through what to do in the first 24 hours — from remote wipe to ICO reporting — and what to put in place now so you're ready if it happens.

Microsoft Teams Phishing: What Small Business Owners Need to Know

Attackers are using Microsoft Teams to impersonate IT support and company executives — bypassing your email filters entirely. This guide explains how Teams phishing works and what small businesses can do to protect their staff without a dedicated IT team.

Network Segmentation for Small Business Offices: A VLAN Guide for UK SMEs

Separating your office network into zones — staff devices, guest Wi-Fi, IoT devices, and payment systems — limits how far an attacker can move after a breach. This guide explains how to set up VLANs on a small business network without enterprise IT resources, covering Ubiquiti, Netgear, and consumer-grade managed switches.

Cybersecurity for UK Accountancy Practices and Bookkeepers 2026

Accountancy firms and bookkeepers handle financial data that criminals specifically target — payroll details, bank credentials, tax records, and HMRC login access. Here's the practical guide to protecting your practice without a dedicated IT team.

NCSC's AI Threat Warning: What UK Small Businesses Should Do Now

The NCSC's June 2026 open letter to business leaders warns that AI is accelerating cyberattacks faster than most organisations are prepared for. Here's what it actually means for small businesses and the practical steps to take.

North Korean IT Worker Fraud: What UK Small Businesses Need to Know in 2026

The UK's OFSI has sanctioned individuals involved in North Korean IT worker schemes targeting British employers. Small businesses are now primary targets — particularly those with 5 or fewer employees. Here's how the scheme works, how to spot fake candidates, and what to do if you've already hired one.

Point-of-Sale Security: Protecting Card Payments in Your Business

PoS systems are a prime target for cybercriminals. This guide covers the common attacks on card payment systems, what PCI DSS means in practice for small businesses, and the steps that actually protect your customers' card data.

Secure Messaging for UK Small Businesses: Signal, WhatsApp, or Teams?

Choosing the right messaging app matters more than most small businesses realise. Here's an honest comparison of Signal, WhatsApp Business, and Microsoft Teams for UK SMEs, covering encryption, GDPR, admin controls, and what you actually need.

CCTV and Smart Camera Security: What UK Small Businesses Get Wrong

Business CCTV cameras are one of the most commonly compromised devices on UK small business networks. Default passwords, unpatched firmware, and cloud-connected cameras with no network separation create risks that go beyond the cameras themselves.

Smishing: Why SMS Phishing Is Hitting UK Small Businesses Harder in 2026

SMS phishing — smishing — has become a significant threat to UK small businesses. Fake HMRC notices, delivery firm alerts, and bank fraud texts are targeting business owners and staff directly on their phones. Here's what's happening and what to do about it.

Malvertising: The Ad-Delivered Malware Your Staff Don't Know to Avoid

Malvertising — malicious adverts served through legitimate ad networks — is one of the fastest-growing attack vectors hitting UK small businesses. Your staff can pick up malware just by loading a news page. Here's how it works and what to do about it.

Dark Web Monitoring for Small Businesses: Is It Worth It?

Dark web monitoring services alert you when your business email credentials or customer data appear in breach dumps. Here's what they actually detect, what they miss, and whether a small business should bother.

The Office Printer Is a Security Risk You're Probably Ignoring

Printers, scanners, and multifunction devices sit on your network, store documents internally, and rarely get patched. Here's why they're a serious security liability — and what you can do about it without spending a fortune.

Microsoft Teams Security for Small Businesses: The Settings That Actually Matter

Attackers are increasingly using Microsoft Teams as a delivery channel — for phishing links, malicious files, and social engineering impersonating vendors or IT support. For small businesses using Teams, a handful of admin settings and user habits make the difference between Teams being a liability or a secure collaboration tool.

Secure File Sharing for Small Business: OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and When to Use Each

Most small business data breaches involving file sharing come not from being hacked but from misconfigured sharing settings — links set to 'anyone with the link' left in email signatures, folders shared with ex-employees, or cloud accounts with no MFA. This guide covers the security controls that matter most in each platform and the simple habits that keep shared files out of the wrong hands.

VPNs for Small Business: What They Protect You From (and What They Don't)

VPNs are marketed as a privacy cure-all, but most small businesses either misunderstand what they do or use them in ways that create a false sense of security. This guide explains what a VPN actually does, when you need one, and the alternatives that often protect you better.

DNS Filtering for Small Businesses: Block Malware Before It Lands

DNS filtering stops malware, ransomware, and phishing attempts before they can reach your devices -- and several excellent options are free or cost just a few pounds per user per month. Here's what it is, how it works, and how to set it up.