SMEs need up-to-date online security
Dec 31 2007
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) accepting payments online need to ensure their security systems are up-to-date, say industry experts.
According to Get Safe Online, a joint initiative between HM Government and the Serious Organised Crime Agency to help businesses fight internet security risks, SMEs should seek advice from an external source before accepting online payments.
Tony Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, says: 'On the technology side SMEs are becoming wiser, but…it is not something they can do on their own; it's something they need to get advice on.
'There are now regulations that have been brought in by the credit card companies. They will probably need to have a look at those because they are likely to be imposed on business owners as a result of taking credit card details.'
In June 2007 Get Safe Online published research revealing that 44 per cent of SMEs in the UK have been the victim of cyber crimes, such as identity fraud and data theft.
The same report also stated that, of those businesses affected, 36 per cent had suffered a computer virus and 18 per cent reported being the victim of internet scams such as phishing or hacking in the last two years.
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