East Midlands Cyber Cluster has reminded businesses about its funded cyber training workshops as Government warns about an increase in cyber attacks in the UK.

Government ministers this week teamed up with the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency to write to the UK’s leading companies urging them to take action on cyber security. 

The letter warns that hostile cyber activity in the UK is growing more intense, frequent and sophisticated.

And it comes weeks after EMCSC announced that it has funding from Government to help 30+ East Midlands SMEs with beginner, intermediate, or researcher-led security training. 

EMCSC founder, and De Montfort University Cyber Skills lead, Dr Ismini Vasileiou is encouraging businesses in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Rutland to take advantage of the programmes on offer.

“The Government letter is very clear that hostile cyber activity in the UK is growing more intense, frequent and sophisticated,” she said.

“Ministers warn that this ‘direct and active threat’ is causing significant financial and social harm to UK businesses and citizens.”

The Government is working on various measure to counter the cyber threat – such as the £150,000 of Cyber Local funding awarded to EMCSC to run its incubator, accelerator, and knowledge transfer courses.

The letter – signed by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall; Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves; Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle; and Minister for Security, Dan Jarvis, reads:

“The government is taking significant action to counter the cyber threat and has developed tools to help businesses to defend themselves, but we cannot do this alone.

“We ask you and the CEOs and chairs of other leading UK companies to take the necessary steps to protect your business and our wider economy from cyber attacks.”

East Midlands SMEs can apply now for fully-funded support to learn how to integrate security systems and take practical steps towards securing their data.

As part of the support EMCSC is offering, businesses can access practical workshops and expert mentoring as well as develop tailored cyber governance and resilience plans.

There is also the opportunity for workforce upskilling through structured training and the use of cyber security tools as well as  joining a supportive digital network.

Government figures show that, in the past year, around 612,000 UK businesses and 61,000 charities reported experiencing cyber security breaches.

The NCSC published their annual review this week, along with the new Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses, which is designed to help sole traders and small organisations put in place some of the basic cyber security measures that help guard against the most common cyber threats.

Liz Kendall, the Secretary of state for Science, Innovation and Technology and Leicester West MP, said: “We’ve seen firsthand the disruption caused by cyber-attacks on major British companies, hitting their bottom line and putting jobs at risk.

“The Government stands ready to help, but cyber security is an issue that demands leadership both from chief executives and right across the boardroom. 

 “It’s in that vein I am calling on them to take immediate action. We need companies to make sure they are better protected and better able to recover quickly if the worst happens. 

 “We are providing clear advice and practical tools, but with threats growing in scale and sophistication, business leaders need to step up their defences now and treat this as a strategic priority.”

• East Midlands CyberGrowth commences on November 4. Register your business now on the EMCSC website.