2LT Local News

Lithgow Council warns local businesses to watch out for cyber crime

Jul 4, 2019

LITHGOW, Central West, NSW, Australia – Councillor Steve Ring at Lithgow City Council is warning local businesses to be on the lookout for cyber crime.

Despite the myth that cyber crime is is not all that widespread, Councillor Ring says he was staggered to find recently that 25% of small to medium businesses have been the victim of this type of activity.

The councillor recently attended the inaugural Small Business Friendly Conference and says he was intrigued by a talk given by staff of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). The ACSC leads the Australian Government’s efforts to improve cyber security. Their goal, he says, is to help make Australia the safest place to connect online, including for the thousands of customers of the small businesses that operate in our community.

“At the conference, I learned that a staggering 25% of small to medium businesses were the victim of a cybercrime in 2017 and they rank cybercrime as the third biggest risk to their businesses,” said Ring on Thursday.

“For a small café, single tradesmen or a start-up business with great ideas but all operating on tight budgets a cyber attack could spell the last day of business.”

“However, to operate effectively in today’s world – small businesses need to have a digital footprint and this places every business at risk of an incident. A cyber security incident could be something as seemingly small as sending a customer’s personal information to someone else, or as devastating as a malicious attack carried out by someone unknown,” said the Councillor.

The ACSC says it is aware of the importance of small business to the Australian economy and wants to work actively with the sector to ensure that they have the appropriate knowledge and tools to protect themselves.

They are currently undertaking a national survey of small business owners and operators who employ up to 20 staff that can be access through tthis link.

“By taking part, our small business community will play a direct role in shaping the Australian Government’s cyber security information and advice. Have your say,” Councillor Ring said.