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“Cyber-crime comes in all shapes and sizes, with today’s figures highlighting the epidemic levels identity fraud alone has reached. It is an issue that we are all responsible for, and need to play our part in making it as difficult as possible for cyber criminals and fraudsters to gain access to our information. The onus lies chiefly with companies to ensure they are protecting their customers and their data from fraud and identity theft, and with more and more data being collected by more and more companies, securing this data has never been more important. Companies need to also look at their suppliers and partners to ensure they don’t open themselves up as a target; in a digital world where companies are interconnected, hackers will look to find their weak spots and vulnerable points of entry.

“All companies must protect their data and that of their partners and suppliers. They need to comply with regulation and build a layered security defence which spans encryption, firewalls, web filtering and ongoing threat monitoring as well as a proactive stance. But the public have a role to play too; they need to be incredibly careful about the information they share online. It can be very easy to pool this information and use it to build a profile which can be used for social engineering – the building up of a profile of someone over time. Even something as simple as an email address and password can be all they need to cause financial and reputational damage.

“With the right measures and contingency plans in place, both companies and consumers can ensure they are doing all they can to combat the never-ending threat of cyber-crime and fraudulent activity.”