According to a new report, Gloucestershire is one of the least cyber secure places to do business in the south west.
The report from Excalibur Communications, which references research published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, lists Devon as the least cyber secure county in the region, with Gloucestershire in second place, followed by Cornwall, Somerset and Wiltshire, respectively.
Gloucestershire fell victim to 24,472 cyber attacks in the last 12 months, with 23,570 of those aimed at micro to small businesses and 903 aimed at medium to large businesses in the county.
The research describes a cyber attack as 'a malicious and deliberate attempt by an individual or organisation to breach the information system of another individual or organisation', including phishing attempts, malware, ransomware and denial of service.
Conversely, the most cyber secure places in the south west were the Isles of Scilly, Torbay, Plymouth, Swindon, and Bath and North East Somerset.
The report suggests that some of the simplest ways to improve cyber security are activating two-factor authentication; reporting suspicious emails to IT or management; keeping software up-to-date; and being vigilant when clicking on links.
