The Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland has launched a cyber incident response helpline. The authorities say it’s for SME (small and medium enterprises) victims of cybercrime.
Since the Covid-19 lockdown in March, many organisations have had to manage remote working and business online, resulting in cyber incidents, either deliberate targeting by cyber criminals or accidents. Hence the free helpline to, first, help organisations confirm they have been the victim of an attack and, if so, provide guidance. An SME concerned about their cyber-security in general can also get in touch to confirm they have the right processes in place.
Mark Cunningham-Dickie, SBRC’s newly appointed Cyber Incident and Response Manager, will manage the helpline and serve as callers’ first point of contact, filtering calls to others in security as required. He said: “There are many ways a business can experience a security incident, with different levels of complexity. Whether a cyber incident occurs through deliberate targeting or human error, the end result is the same: a disruptive effect on business operations.”
DCC Malcolm Graham said: “Scottish businesses are facing a myriad of challenges this year. We expect the number of cyber attacks to continue to rise as criminals take advantage of businesses relying on technology. We are keen to do our part in ensuring Scottish businesses survive this pandemic. I urge anyone with even slight concerns about their organisation’s IT security to call the SBRC and if they think there is criminal activity to report the crime to Police Scotland on 101.”
Jude McCorry, SBRC CEO, pictured, added: “Now more than ever, businesses need to ensure the security of their operations. Through webinars and other outreach programmes, we have worked hard to help organisations understand the importance of cyber security. This helpline is the next step towards ensuring businesses get the help they need to recover from cyber incidents with limited impact on their operations and customers. With our cadre of security experts and expertise across a range of industries, the SBRC is uniquely placed to help Scottish businesses understand, contain, and recover from cyber attacks.”
Businesses can call the cyber incident helpline on 01786 437 472, weekdays 9am to 5pm; and visit the SBRC website.
Rise in reports
Separately, the official reporting line Action Fraud, which Police Scotland pulled out of after Times newspaper revelations of poor customer service, has been running only a ‘reduced service’ at its contact centre – based near Paisley – ever since lockdown in March.
The City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud which runs Action Fraud, reported last month that it received 3,916 reports of cybercrime during the first month of lockdown alone. These reports equated to £2.9m in reported losses, an increase of almost 72 per cent, compared to the previous month.
