Why did a cyber attack force EPX Partner Consultant Ellis to eat Prawn Cocktail crisps?
The answer - an unexpected consequence of a lapse in cybersecurity…..
Ellis explains here:
It’s not hyperbole to say that the number and severity of cyber attacks are on the rise. Just in the UK alone, it was reported that approximately 21,315 cyber attacks per day occurred in 2023-24, and this number is only growing as criminals find new ways to attack and more efficiently monetise their activities.
While this won’t come as a shock to most people, the consequences of these attacks might.
Financial implications are easily quantifiable
Every business worth its salt knows that if it suffers an attack, there is likely to be a financial impact. This could be from downtime hours while the breach is fixed, or the cost to repair the issue or replace systems. There could be fines involved, expensive digital forensics or, and we don’t recommend this, ransom money. But these are just the easily quantifiable issues.It was this I pondered as I sat eating Prawn Cocktail crisps on a sunny day outside of our Stafford office. The thing is, I’m not a big fan of Prawn Cocktail crisps. They are ok, but certainly not my top flavour. But due to the ongoing disruption to Co-Ops systems, it was all they had in at the local store.
Thankfully, they still had a cheese and bacon sandwich, but even the choices for the main part of the meal deal were looking thin.
Ongoing unexpected lost revenue
What is the result of this? For starters, I’m going to visit the Tesco a bit further down the road for my next lunch. That’s a little bit of revenue lost for co-op right away. But there is the chance I like the Tesco selection more, or it’s cheaper. Then my lunch choice changes, and I go to Tesco all the time.
M&S have only just got their ordering system online after a different Cyber Attack and says disruption may occur until July. That’s a long time for someone to set up a new habit with a different company they may not have even looked at before. That’s potential revenue down the drain as well.
Reputation impact
Your reputation will take a hit as well. In our supermarket cases, customer details have potentially been leaked. This has already had people stating their intent to either cancel memberships or not sign up at all. While it’s likely M&S and Co-Op will bolster their security and be a better option at the moment, customer faith is a fickle thing. But it could be suppliers feeling skittish or anyone else in the business pipeline.
Ruining lunch
All being said, the result of a cyber attack doesn’t end at the cost to restore your systems. It goes deeper and can make potential clients move away or limit the way you can work for the foreseeable future.
Or at the very least, it could ruin someone’s lunch.
Cybersecurity support
If you are looking for help or support in ensuring your Cybersecurity is strong, please do get in touch with our team on 01785 332976 or book a call.
