Our everyday lives are increasingly reliant on the online world. A cyber event could be caused by malicious intent, accidental failures/maintenance error or loss of utilities such as internet connection or electricity supply. These risks could result in the loss of personal information or unable to use online services and systems that depend on them like websites, social media, smartphone apps, banking/payment systems, television services, telephone and mobile services, smart home appliances ....... the list goes on.
There are steps you can take both at home and at work to reduce your personal risk and the impact to cyber events.
- Use strong passwords or Passkeys and enable multifactor authentication on your online accounts.
- Update apps and device software to the latest version, especially for critical security updates.
- Beware of scam calls, text, emails, social media messages and apps especially if they want personal/business information or want you to install software or provide authentication codes.
- Store data in multiple locations and on different devices/media. Make printouts and store securely important information like insurance, key contacts and medical information.
- Keep a small amount of cash available for everyday essentials in the event that bank cards or apps were impacted.
Further information:
- Cyber - GOV.UK/Prepare
- Cyber Aware | National Cyber Security Centre
- National Cyber Security Centre - Advice & Guidance
- Protect Information About You | National Protective Security Authority
For business:
Last updated: 1 Apr 2026, 4:12 p.m.