October 2018 is Cyber Security Awareness Month, an annual campaign which aims to raise awareness of cyber-security threats. Research from the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018 shows that four in ten businesses (43 per cent) and two in ten charities (19 per cent) have experienced a cyber-security breach or attack in the last 12 months. With these figures in mind, it’s hugely important for small and medium businesses to consider a plan to prevent cyber-attacks which could affect their websites, reputation and profits.

Many small business owners don’t have adequate security measures on their website because they assume that it’s just larger organisations which are targeted by hackers. However, research from security firm Sitelock suggests that small businesses are the most likely to have their websites hacked. This is because SMEs typically have inadequate website security measures and less regular site maintenance, making them a primary target for hackers using automated tools to find vulnerable websites.

Laura Dodge, Marketing Manager at web development agency Pedalo, says: “Websites need regular maintenance to stay up-to-date, secure and working correctly. The problem is that many website owners don’t realise that website maintenance is needed. Making sure that your website is well-maintained not only helps you to reach and retain your audience, but also ensures your website is protected against cyber-attacks. Without adequate security and ongoing site maintenance, vulnerabilities in your site can be exploited, enabling hackers to access data, send spam and make code changes, with potentially severe consequences.”

Put simply, if your company is present on the internet, the threat of cyber-attacks is there, regardless of the size of your enterprise.