Cyber Security Blog

Expert articles and podcasts on cyber defence for small and medium businesses.

Small Business Security Cyber Security Fundamentals SOC in a Box Development Diary SMB Security Phishing Risk Management Email Security Access Control Governance GDPR Cyber Threats UK Compliance Ransomware Managed SOC SOC Cyber Defence Board Reporting MFA Data Loss Prevention Data Protection Incident Response Data Breach Managed Security ICO Cyber Insurance Cyber Risk Cyber Essentials Getting Started Cyber Attacks Security Operations Cyber Security Podcast Threat Landscape Microsoft 365 Cloud Security Business Email Compromise BEC Fraud Financial Fraud OSINT Reconnaissance Attack Surface Social Engineering DLP Cyber Attack Crisis Management Insider Threats User Behaviour Multi-Factor Authentication Dark Web Threat Intelligence Cyber Security Policy Security Costs SOC as a Saving Supply Chain Security Third-Party Risk MDR Antivirus Threat Detection Cyber Security Basics Security Operations Centre Lessons Learned Deployment Onboarding Confidence Score Analyst Model Service Design DecoyPulse Deception Technology EmilyAI AI Security SOC365 Detection Engineering Hardware Product Design Security Checklist Risk Assessment Remote Working Hybrid Working VPN Security Awareness Staff Training Least Privilege User Management Physical Security Clean Desk Mobile Security BYOD MDM Web Security Safe Browsing DNS Filtering DMARC Network Security Wi-Fi Security Firewalls Patch Management Software Updates Vulnerabilities Backups Ransomware Recovery Business Continuity Passwords Password Manager Asset Management
Article 15 March 2026 8 min read

Why SMBs Are Prime Targets for Cyber Attacks

Small and medium businesses face more cyber attacks than ever. Learn why SMBs are targeted, common attack vectors, and how to protect your business affordably.

SMB Security Cyber Attacks Ransomware
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Article 8 March 2026 10 min read

What Is a SOC and Why Your Business Needs One

A Security Operations Centre (SOC) monitors your business 24/7 for cyber threats. Learn what a SOC does, how it works, and why every SMB needs one.

SOC Security Operations Managed SOC
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Article 2 March 2026 8 min read

How to Brief Your Board on Cyber Security

Most cyber security briefings to boards fail because they're written for security professionals, not decision-makers. This guide shows you how to communicate risk, evidence controls, and get the budget you need.

Board Reporting Small Business Security Governance
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Podcast 1 March 2026 25 min

Podcast: Cyber Defence Fundamentals for SMBs

Listen to our first podcast episode covering cyber defence fundamentals for small and medium businesses. Learn about threats, protection strategies, and affordable security.

Podcast Cyber Defence SMB Security
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Article 23 February 2026 8 min read

Why Your Microsoft 365 Security Defaults Aren't Enough

Microsoft 365 Security Defaults are a starting point, not a destination. This guide explains exactly what they cover, what they leave exposed, and what a properly secured 365 tenancy actually looks like.

Microsoft 365 Small Business Security Cloud Security
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Article 16 February 2026 8 min read

Business Email Compromise: The Fraud Costing UK Small Businesses Millions

Business email compromise causes more direct financial loss than ransomware. This guide explains exactly how BEC fraud works, why it's devastatingly effective, and the controls that stop it.

Business Email Compromise BEC Fraud Small Business Security
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Article 9 February 2026 7 min read

How Attackers Use Your Public Information Against You

Before an attacker launches a single attack, they research you. Your website, LinkedIn, Companies House filings, and job adverts tell them more than you realise. Here's what they learn and how to limit it.

OSINT Reconnaissance Small Business Security
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Article 2 February 2026 7 min read

What Is Data Loss Prevention — and Does My Business Need It?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) sounds like enterprise technology. It isn't anymore. This guide explains what DLP does, what problems it solves for small businesses, and when it becomes worth implementing.

DLP Data Loss Prevention Small Business Security
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Article 26 January 2026 9 min read

How to Respond to a Cyber Incident: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Owners

When a cyber incident hits, the decisions you make in the first few hours determine how bad it gets. This step-by-step guide explains exactly what to do — and what not to do — before the experts arrive.

Incident Response Small Business Security Cyber Attack
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Article 19 January 2026 8 min read

Insider Threats: The Security Risk Your Antivirus Won't Catch

Insider threats — malicious, negligent, or compromised staff — cause more damage per incident than external attacks. This guide explains what they look like and what actually detects them.

Insider Threats Small Business Security Data Loss Prevention
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Article 12 January 2026 8 min read

Multi-Factor Authentication: How to Actually Roll It Out Across Your Business

MFA is the single most effective control against credential theft. This practical guide covers how to implement it across every critical system in a small business — without breaking everything.

MFA Multi-Factor Authentication Small Business Security
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Article 5 January 2026 7 min read

What Is the Dark Web — and Why Should Your Business Care?

The dark web is where stolen business credentials, client data, and company information end up after a breach. This guide explains what it is, what ends up there, and how to find out if your data already has.

Dark Web Small Business Security Threat Intelligence
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Article 22 December 2025 8 min read

How to Write a Cyber Security Policy for a Small Business

A cyber security policy doesn't need to be a 40-page document. This guide explains what a small business policy must cover, what to skip, and how to make it one staff actually follow.

Cyber Security Policy Small Business Security Governance
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Article 15 December 2025 7 min read

The True Cost of Piecemeal Cybersecurity for Small Businesses

Most small businesses pay for 5 to 8 separate security tools that collectively cost more than a managed SOC — and still leave the most dangerous gaps uncovered. Here are the numbers.

Security Costs Small Business Security Managed Security
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Article 8 December 2025 7 min read

Supply Chain Cyber Attacks: Why Small Suppliers Are the Real Target

Large organisations are hardening their perimeters. So attackers go through their suppliers instead. Here's why small businesses are the most valuable target in a supply chain attack — and what to do about it.

Supply Chain Security Small Business Security Cyber Threats
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Article 1 December 2025 7 min read

MDR vs Managed Antivirus: What's the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

Managed antivirus and Managed Detection and Response sound similar. They're not. This guide explains the difference, why it matters for small businesses, and how to tell what you're actually buying.

MDR Managed Security Antivirus
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Article 24 November 2025 7 min read

GDPR and Cybersecurity: What Small Businesses Are Getting Wrong

Most small businesses think GDPR is about consent forms and cookie banners. The ICO's security requirements are stricter than most realise — and the consequences of getting them wrong are significant.

GDPR Small Business Security UK Compliance
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Article 17 November 2025 7 min read

Cyber Insurance for Small Businesses: What UK Insurers Actually Want to See

Cyber insurance for small UK businesses is becoming harder to get and easier to claim incorrectly. This guide explains what insurers require, what exclusions to watch for, and how to qualify for better terms.

Cyber Insurance Small Business Security UK Compliance
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Article 10 November 2025 7 min read

Phishing Attacks Are Getting Harder to Spot — What Small Businesses Need to Know

Phishing is the number one way attackers get into small business networks. This guide explains how modern phishing works, why it's getting harder to spot, and what actually stops it.

Phishing Small Business Security Email Security
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Article 3 November 2025 7 min read

What Does a Data Breach Actually Cost a Small UK Business?

The real cost of a data breach for a small UK business goes far beyond the ICO fine. This guide breaks down every category of cost — with realistic figures for organisations under 100 employees.

Data Breach Small Business Security ICO
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Article 27 October 2025 8 min read

Cyber Essentials Certification: The Complete Guide for UK Small Businesses

Everything UK small businesses need to know about Cyber Essentials certification: what it covers, what it costs, how long it takes, and why it now unlocks cyber insurance.

Cyber Essentials Small Business Security UK Compliance
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Article 20 October 2025 8 min read

Ransomware and Small UK Businesses: What You Actually Need to Know

Ransomware attacks on small UK businesses are rising. This plain-English guide covers how ransomware works, what it costs, and what actually stops it — no scare tactics.

Ransomware Small Business Security Cyber Threats
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Article 13 October 2025 7 min read

What Is a Security Operations Centre? A Plain-English Guide

A plain-English guide to what a Security Operations Centre (SOC) actually is, what it does, and why small UK businesses now have access to one. No jargon.

SOC Small Business Security Cyber Security Basics
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Article 6 October 2025 9 min read

What We Learned Building SOC in a Box

Ten weeks of development diary concludes with the honest account: what we got right, what we got wrong, and what SOC in a Box looks like now it's live.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Lessons Learned
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Article 29 September 2025 8 min read

Five Days: From Order to 24/7 Monitoring — How the Deployment Actually Works

Most SOC deployments take months. SOC in a Box takes five working days. Here's exactly what happens on each of those days — and why the timeline is achievable.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Deployment
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Article 22 September 2025 6 min read

The Confidence Score: One Number That Tells Your Board How Protected You Are

Most security dashboards are built for security engineers. We built the Confidence Score for the people who actually have to make decisions — and answer to regulators.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Confidence Score
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Article 15 September 2025 7 min read

Why Every SOC in a Box Client Gets a Named Analyst, Not a Ticket Queue

The security industry defaults to ticket queues. We decided every SOC in a Box client deserves a named analyst who knows their environment. Here's why that decision defines the product.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Analyst Model
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Article 8 September 2025 6 min read

DecoyPulse: Deception Technology That Generates Zero False Positives

Honeypots and deception technology have been enterprise-only tools for too long. Here's how we built DecoyPulse into SOC in a Box — and why the logic is simple: if it touches a decoy, it shouldn't be there.

SOC in a Box Development Diary DecoyPulse
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Article 1 September 2025 7 min read

EmilyAI: The Triage Layer That Keeps Human Analysts Focused on Real Threats

How our AI triage layer pre-processes and enriches alerts before they reach a human analyst — and why this matters more for small organisations than for large ones.

SOC in a Box Development Diary EmilyAI
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Article 25 August 2025 7 min read

The Same Engine: Integrating SOC365 With a Compact Sensor

How we connected SOC in a Box to our full enterprise SOC365 platform — with zero compromise on detection quality. The architecture behind the identical capability claim.

SOC in a Box Development Diary SOC365
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Article 18 August 2025 8 min read

Building the Box: Hardware Decisions for a Hardened SOC Appliance

What goes inside a SOC in a Box appliance? From form factor to encryption, here's every hardware decision we made — and why we made it.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Hardware
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Article 11 August 2025 7 min read

The Idea: What If We Could Put a SOC in a Box?

Most product ideas come from a gap in the market. This one came from a pattern in incident response callouts. Here's how SOC in a Box went from concept to build.

SOC in a Box Development Diary Product Design
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Article 4 August 2025 6 min read

Why Small Organisations Can't Get a Real SOC — And Why That's Wrong

The cybersecurity industry has spent years telling SMBs they don't qualify for a proper SOC. We decided to prove that wrong. Here's why we started building.

SOC in a Box SMB Security Development Diary
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Article 28 July 2025 10 min read

Your Small Business Cyber Security Checklist: 50 Controls to Have in Place

The complete cyber security checklist for UK small businesses. 50 practical controls across 10 categories — covering everything from backups and patching to physical security and incident response. Use it, share it, act on it.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Security Checklist Small Business Security
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Article 21 July 2025 7 min read

Understanding Your Cyber Risk: A Simple Approach for Business Owners

Cyber risk doesn't need a complex framework to be understood. This guide shows non-technical business owners how to think about their specific risk, prioritise their response, and know when they need expert help.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Cyber Risk Risk Assessment
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Article 14 July 2025 7 min read

Remote and Hybrid Working: Keeping Your Business Secure Off-Premises

Remote working has become permanent for many small businesses. This guide covers the security controls that make it safe — VPNs, home network risks, cloud security, and the specific threats that target remote workers.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Remote Working Hybrid Working
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Article 7 July 2025 7 min read

Security Awareness Training: Making Your Team Your Strongest Defence

Staff who understand cyber threats are harder to compromise than staff who don't. This guide covers what effective security awareness training looks like for small businesses — and what it doesn't.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Security Awareness Staff Training
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Article 30 June 2025 7 min read

Managing User Access: Who Can Get to What — and Why It Matters

The principle of least privilege — giving people access only to what they need — is one of the most effective controls in cyber security. This guide explains how to apply it practically in a small business.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Access Control Least Privilege
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Article 23 June 2025 6 min read

Physical Security: The Cyber Risk You Can See

Physical security is the overlooked dimension of cyber security. Unlocked screens, unattended devices, tailgating, and clean desk failures create risks that no firewall can address. This guide covers the practical basics.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Physical Security Small Business Security
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Article 16 June 2025 6 min read

Mobile Device Security for Small Businesses

Mobile devices hold business email, contacts, files, and app credentials — and receive far less security attention than laptops. This guide covers what every small business should have in place for phones and tablets used for work.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Mobile Security BYOD
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Article 9 June 2025 6 min read

Safe Browsing and Web Security for Your Business

The web is the second most common delivery mechanism for malware and credential theft. This guide covers browser security settings, DNS filtering, safe browsing habits, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Web Security Safe Browsing
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Article 2 June 2025 7 min read

Email Security Basics Every Small Business Should Have in Place

Email is the number one entry point for cyber attacks on small businesses. This guide covers the essential email security controls — DMARC, spam filtering, safe links, and what to actually train your staff to spot.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Email Security Phishing
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Article 26 May 2025 7 min read

Securing Your Business Wi-Fi and Network

An unsecured or poorly configured business network gives attackers a foothold from which everything else can be reached. This guide covers the practical steps every small business should take to secure their Wi-Fi and local network.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Network Security Wi-Fi Security
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Article 19 May 2025 7 min read

Patch Management: Why Keeping Software Updated Is Non-Negotiable

Unpatched software is one of the most exploited entry points for cyber attacks. This guide explains what patching is, why it matters, and how to build a simple patch management process for a small business.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Patch Management Software Updates
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Article 12 May 2025 10 min read

Backups: The One Control That Could Save Your Business

A working backup is the difference between a serious incident and a fatal one. This is the most important post in this series. It covers the 3-2-1 rule, offline backups, testing, and the mistakes that cause businesses to lose everything.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Backups Ransomware Recovery
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Article 5 May 2025 7 min read

Passwords and Password Managers: Getting the Basics Right

Weak and reused passwords are behind a staggering proportion of cyber incidents. This guide covers what strong passwords actually look like, why you need a password manager, and how to roll one out across your business.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Passwords Password Manager
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Article 28 April 2025 6 min read

Know What You're Protecting: A Guide to Your Business's Digital Assets

You can't protect what you haven't identified. This guide shows small businesses how to build a simple asset inventory — the foundation of any effective security programme.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Asset Management Small Business Security
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Article 21 April 2025 6 min read

Cyber Security Fundamentals for Small Businesses: Where to Start

This is the first in a 15-part series on cyber security fundamentals for small businesses. No jargon, no scare tactics — just a clear, practical starting point for owners and managers.

Cyber Security Fundamentals Small Business Security Getting Started
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