Today’s cyber attack landscape is constantly evolving – can you confidently say your business’ defences are up to scratch? Threats are becoming more complex, and with one reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) every 6 minutes, they aren’t something you can ignore.
To put the impact of cyber attacks in Australia into perspective, in FY2023-24 they cost small businesses an average of $49,600, while medium sized businesses lost around $62,800.
If you want to avoid serious financial loss, protect data and sensitive information, and preserve your reputation, break fix or basic IT support just won’t cut it – and this is where cyber security uplift comes into play.
As serious advocates for comprehensive cyber defences, we’re putting a spotlight on cyber security uplift from what it is to why it’s essential for your business going forward, and how our team of experts can support you with upgrade.
The Current Threat Landscape
Now let’s take a closer look at the modern threats you should be aware of, and what they involve.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
BEC is a targeted attack, and can occur in several ways. It may involve:
- Cyber criminals posing as the CEO, an executive, or a vendor to request payment to a fraudulent account.
- Account compromise, where the actual email accounts of the CEO or staff are hacked so false invoices or instructions appear to be sent directly from these individuals.
In FY2023-24 BEC was a serious concern resulting in an average loss of $55,000 per victim. Collectively, this amounted to nearly $84 million in losses for Australian businesses.
Phishing Emails
Like BEC, phishing emails prey on human error. Cyber criminals pose as trusted people or companies with the goal of:
- Capturing sensitive information or login credentials.
- Getting recipients to click on malicious links or install malicious files.
These threats leverage social engineering, preying on emotions (such as fear or excitement) and using a sense of urgency to motivate action. Recipients are manipulated to act without thinking, which means they’re less likely to notice inconsistencies with legitimate communication.
Phishing emails can even be the starting point for other attacks. For example, unknowingly clicking on malicious links or opening files can lead to the spread of malware, while compromised login credentials can lead to data breaches.
More than three billion phishing emails are sent a day, so this isn’t a scam you should take lightly.
Ransomware
In 2025 ransomware (a form of malware) continues to be a significant concern for businesses. It involves:
- Cyber criminals launching an attack that infects your device before encrypting or blocking access to your files.
- Demanding a ransom be paid so you can access these files again, or to stop the data from being shared or sold. Please note – you shouldn’t pay this ransom as there’s no promise cyber criminals will hold up their end of the deal. When these criminals know you’ve paid a ransom, it can also make you an attractive target for future attacks.
Small to medium sized business (SMB) owners have also become targets for ransomware attacks, with the Australian Institute of Criminology reporting they’re almost twice as likely to be targeted than their team.
While these threats are significant, it’s critical to remember they’re a small sample of the many attacks cyber criminals use to target Australian businesses.
Are Australian Businesses Prepared?
Yes, SMBs understand the importance of cyber security. However, this doesn’t mean they always have the right measures or planning in place. In fact, according to the ACSC many SMBs aren’t prepared to prevent or respond to an attack, or to understand the vulnerabilities in their defences. Another aspect SMBs tend to misjudge is the downtime caused by an attack, and how long it would take for their business to recover. This is where cyber security uplift becomes critical to prepare your business for the current threat landscape.
What is Cyber Security Uplift?
Cyber security uplift is an initiative carried out to build your business’ security posture. It ensures you’re equipped with tools, solutions, and knowledge to stay ahead of threats.
A comprehensive approach to cyber security uplift should involve:
- Identifying current weaknesses.
- Implementing relevant cyber security frameworks to support compliance and build resilience.
- Improving the tools and solutions used to build your cyber defences. These should include solutions that support a preventative and proactive approach.
- Increasing your team’s cyber awareness when it comes to current threats and best practices.
- Creating or updating policies that guide responses to cyber attacks.
Why is Cyber Security Uplift Important?
Cyber Security Uplift is essential for any business looking to improve their cyber resilience and be confident in their online defences. It delivers a range of benefits, including safeguarding data, minimising the risk of financial loss and downtime, and helping to maintain the trusting relationships you’ve spent time building with clients and vendors.
How Lateral Plains Can Help
We get it, the cyber security uplift process we mentioned above might sound a bit daunting. Luckily, our nerd herd are here to help streamline the process and take care of IT with our managed services. Our bundles include leading cyber security tools and solutions, guidance, and security awareness training to upgrade your security posture in line with today and tomorrow’s threats.
Cyber Security Uplift
Requirement : Identify vulnerabilities
Our Solution : We can run regular Pentesting audits to highlight weaknesses and understand how they can be exploited by cyber criminals.
Requirement : Implement cyber security frameworks
Our Solution : We can support your business to implement the Essential Eight.
Requirement : Improve tools and solutions
Our Solution : We use leading tools to build out your cybersecurity defences, including a managed Security Operations Centre and Endpoint Detection Response to provide advanced threat detection, rapid incident response, and proactive threat hunting.
Requirement : Support cyber awareness
Our Solution : We provide security awareness training, with engaging videos, interactive lessons, and simulated phishing email campaigns so your team can spot and avoid threats.
Requirement : Create or update policies
Our Solution : We can provide guidance to ensure your cyber security policies are up to date with current threats and aligned with best practices.
You can learn more about our Managed IT Services and Cyber Security services here, or get in touch with us today to chat about how we can conduct a cyber security uplift for your business.