No business is exempt from the threat of cyberattacks not even a beautiful Welsh country park. Why? It has customer data – and lots of it – which is the commodity of choice for cybercriminals.

The Cyber Resileince Centre for Wales' (WCRC) Head of Cyber and Innovation, Paul Hall, took a trip to Port Talbot, as part of of the centre's regular business engagement events, and it was very successful with an above average number of business owners signing up for membership.

Darren Evans, commercial manager at Margam Country Park, was one of them and he became the WCRC's 1,000th member. Here he explains what it was that made him want to ensure further cyber protection for the much-loved nature attraction.

Cyber is always a top priority

I was aware that cybercrime is on the rise and that individuals and organisations are targeted on a regular basis, although attempts at attacks are not always successful, it is something that we know we must constantly protect ourselves from. On this basis alone, it is important for us to be kept up to date with new threats and how we could potentially be targeted.

Margam Park is a sister company to the local authority so prior to membership we were already taking our cyber security seriously. Thanks to the local authority sending updates, we are well-versed about the rise of suspicious emails and the important of recognising them and not to click on any links or attachments, but it is beneficial to also be informed of additional measures that will increase our level of safety further.

Effective immediately

Meeting Paul from the WCRC and hearing about the other simple steps we could take to increase our cyber security was fantastic. I have reasonably good knowledge as it is very important for Margam Park to keep the data it holds secure, and the free membership offer has the guidance and practical exercises we’ve needed to push forward in this area.

The resources we’ve received are very good and informative and our knowledge and awareness has increased in a short space of time as members, as well as our understanding of cyber security gaining additional clarity.

The biggest change is that we now fully appreciate the impact our supply chain can have on our cyber security, so we will be taking a new approach when commissioning work. I’ve no doubt we would have got to this point eventually, but membership has reinforced the message and expedited our course of action.

Teaming up

With the help of the WCRC we are certainly looking forward to exploring its other services in the near future. A business is only as strong as its weakest link, and we’ve been sharing our new learnings with our staff and boosted their awareness around phishing emails and strong passwords, too.

We are interested in the centre’s Cyber PATH services around security awareness, as well as an audit to determine where we can lessen the impact of any threats that may come Margam Park's way with our new-found, additional cyber defences.

It's time to minimise the risk

Thinking a cybercriminal wouldn’t be interested in a business like yours because it’s small/family run/not in a big city/has a modest turnover/in a niche industry etc? The WCRC hears variations of this often when we’re out visiting businesses owners across the length and breadth of Wales to chat about why having basic cyber security in place is a must.

There is low awareness and understanding of the mindset of a cybercriminal. It’s not what your business does but what it has and that is data - lots of it. The aim of an online intruder is to gain unauthorised access to sensitive information such as bank details, passwords for email and social media accounts, financial records, supplier contracts and even employee details.

It’s the WCRC's priority to make sure small businesses, SMEs, charities and third sector organisations in communities throughout the country recognise that the threat of cybercrime is very real.

Protect your business from the risks of cybercrime by joining our free membership programme and you’ll receive national guidance, cyber alerts and news updates, resources toolkits, tips and more to help you at every stage of your journey to improved cyber resilience.

Interested in other packages and affordable services? Contact our team today for a chat about the most appropriate options available for your requirements.