How Yorkshire is fighting back against the cybercrime crippling small businesses

The newly-launched North East Business Resilience Centre (NEBRC) aims to tackle a highly organised criminal industry that costs UK businesses £27bn a year.

The project brings together all seven of the Yorkshire and North East’s police forces alongside Sheffield Hallam University, Northumbria University and private sector cybercrime experts.

Led by South Yorkshire Police Superintendent Rebecca Chapman, NEBRC is funded by a range of private and public partners, including the police, and a wide range of business investors and members across the North of England. The not-for-profit centre has received funding until March 2021, by which time it has to be self-sufficient.

She added: “From an investigative point of view, hackers often live outside the UK so bringing people to justice is quite difficult.”

Supt Chapman added that many businesses still aren’t aware of easy ways to stay safe and protect themselves from hackers.

Randsomware attacks – locking businesses out of their networks and demanding big payments to get back in – is one of the most common crimes.

“We know a few small companies that have been targeted in this way because hackers expect them to pay up and it sometimes wipes out the company altogether,” Supt Chapman said.

The centre has already attracted key business partners, including DLA Piper, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, CGI, Accenture, and Waterstones. Top cybercrime officers have also been seconded from the region’s police forces.

The purpose of the centre is to give the owners of SMEs and managers access to the latest advice and support from leading police and security industry experts; enable them to learn quick and easy ways to protect their business online; meet “ethical hackers” who can spot the gaps in online security; and get free core membership to NEBRC for future cybercrime prevention.

Supt Chapman said: “We have assembled a team of experts from across crime prevention, research and the private sector to help businesses prepare for and prevent future cyber threats.

“One of the problems we have is that businesses don’t want to report this type of crime because they don’t want to damage their reputation. The centre is a safe place to go to if you have a problem.”

There are over half a million SMEs in Yorkshire and the North East. The centre has produced a number of guides to help businesses understand how to protect themselves.

“Cybercrime is a constant game of cat and mouse.

“The criminals who hide behind and utilise technology to commit fraud, theft and blackmail have no scruples in who they target or when,” Supt Chapman said.

“We have seen many businesses crippled by some form of cyber attack and there needs to be a pro-active, preventive, approach rather than just a reactive investigation once the damage has been done.”

NEBRC is launching a series of free introduction seminars across Yorkshire this month.

Visit https://www.nebrcentre.co.uk/events