The recent cyber-attacks on some of the UK’s best-known retailers will only encourage more hackers to target companies’ websites, a Derby digital marketer has warned.
Will Williamson, a director at Derby-based JDR Group, says the attacks on retailers Marks and Spencer’s, Harrod’s and Co-op have proven how easy it is for hackers to bring down company websites and wreak havoc on their businesses.
But while this is bad news for big-name firms it’s even worse for lesser-known businesses – the ones who don’t hit the headlines when their websites come under attack but who are being targeted every day.
According to last year’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey, half of businesses surveyed and a third of charities had experienced some form of cyber security breach in the previous 12 months. The figure increased for medium businesses – 70% – and 74% for large businesses.
By far the most common type of breach or attack was phishing, which accounted for 84% of all attacks on businesses, while the average cost of each breach was £10,805 for medium and large businesses.
One month on from the attacks, Marks and Spencer is still struggling to bounce back from the actions of the hackers, whose actions also badly affected the supplies available to shoppers at the Co-op too.
However many smaller companies never recover and some even go out of business, Will warns, adding that all companies should review the security of their website, which is so often the weak point in companies; cyber defences.
He said: “Every so often we read about the problems big name companies face when they’ve been hacked, but so many smaller, lesser-known companies suffer attacks too and don’t have the resources to bounce back.
“The recent attacks will definitely have emboldened other hackers into targeting businesses, because so often it’s an easy way to make money by extorting companies who are simply unable to function.
“They will have seen how easy it’s been to affect such a big name as Marks & Spencer and will be targeting other businesses looking for similar results.”
One of the biggest issues companies face, Will added, is a lack of security associated with building their websites using open-source software such as WordPress, whose reliance on extensive use of plugins and themes developed by third parties create potential security vulnerabilities.
So widespread is the problem that in 2023 it was estimated that there were up to five million cyber attacks on WordPress websites per hour.
He said: “Wordpress is definitely the biggest culprit when it comes to hackers launching website attacks because it can be vulnerable and it’s so heavily targeted.
“We’ve seen how devastating the effects that a successful website attack can have, from companies being blackmailed into paying money for the hackers not releasing customer data, or simply disabling the website and preventing the firm from doing business.
“Nobody thinks it will happen to them but the figures show that it can happen to anyone. In the wake of such a public website incursion companies should take steps to ensure they are protected, because the effects of being open to an attack can be devastating.”
JDR Group, which was founded in 2004, employs 40 staff and offers a full range of digital marketing services including SEO, web design, social media and content marketing.
It has built more than 1,000 websites for its clients in its time and has analysed and audited the marketing operation of more than 250 businesses.
It is also one of just a handful of UK firms to have been awarded the prestigious Elite Partner status by world-leading customer relationship management platform HubSpot.
To find out more www.jdrgroup.co.uk
