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Cybercrime on the Rise: What SMEs Can Learn from BBC Panorama’s “Fighting Cyber Criminals”
- Nick Zimaras
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Last night’s Panorama, “Fighting Cyber Criminals,” exposed the scale and sophistication of cybercrime currently threatening UK businesses. From high-profile attacks on major retailers like M&S and Harrods, to the devastating closure of haulage firm KNP Logistics after a ransomware attack, the message was clear: no business is too small to be targeted.
Why SMEs Need to Pay Attention
Cyber gangs—many operating from Russia and Eastern Europe—are relentless. They're not necessarily using advanced tools, but they are numerous, organised and persistent, constantly looking for the weakest link in any business. And often, that weak link is as simple as a poorly chosen password or outdated software.
Richard Horne of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned that UK businesses are outnumbered and outpaced. While our cyber defences are strong, attackers are growing in number and ambition.
Real-World Consequences
KNP Logistics, a haulage company with 500 trucks and 900 employees, was forced to close after a ransomware gang called Akira gained access via a single compromised password. Their backups were also destroyed. The ransom? An unpayable £5 million.
M&S, Harrods, and the Co-op were all targeted. M&S alone lost an estimated £300 million in profit and saw 6.5 million customer accounts compromised.
South Staffordshire Water was hacked, giving criminals temporary control of chemical treatment levels. Thankfully, no ransom was paid, and security has since been upgraded—but the risk to public infrastructure is real.
How Are These Attacks Happening?
Guessable or reused passwords
Outdated software
Lack of basic cybersecurity hygiene
Social engineering (convincing staff to reveal credentials)
Often, these attacks start small but lead to major consequences, especially when ransomware takes control of a business’s IT systems.
“It's Like Trying Door Handles”
One investigator likened ransomware gangs to car thiefs walking down a street, simply trying every car handle. Attack 10 businesses and get into 3—that’s enough to make millions.
What’s most worrying is that many businesses never report these attacks. Paying ransoms quietly and moving on means criminals continue to profit—and grow bolder.
What Can You Do?
“Ransom gangs attack where there is a weakness.” Says Panaroma Reporter Richard Bilton. Cyber Essentials Certification was highlighted as a vital step. It helps businesses identify and fix vulnerabilities—making it harder for attackers to get in. 200,000 UK businesses have taken the step. But with over 5 million still exposed, there’s a long way to go.
SMEs Must Take Responsibility
It only takes one weak password to bring down a business. Could your company afford to lose access to your systems, your client data, or your reputation?
The costs of inaction are simply too high—not just financially, but emotionally and operationally.
Helping to Raise Awareness!
If you missed last night’s informative and revealing Panorama – you can watch it on BBC iPlayer – here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002g7lj/panorama-fighting-cyber-criminals
As a starting point, you can send this link to the Panorama episode to your staff and suggest they all change their passwords to one that’s long, hard to remember and unique.
How much does Cyber Essentials Cost?
The cost of the Government backed Cyber Essentials scheme varies dependent on how many employees you have. Here is a guide to pricing:
Micro Businesses - 0-9 Employees - £320 +VAT
Small Organisations (10 - 49) Employees - £440 + VAT
Medium Organisations (50 - 249 Employees) £500 + VAT
Large Organisations - (250+ employees) £600 + VAT
Are You Ready to Protect Your Business?
At CJAZ, we’re here to help. We can carry out a Cyber Security Assessment of your business or guide you through the Cyber Essentials Certification.
Together, we can make your systems more resilient—and make your business a much harder target.
Give us a call today and let’s talk about how we can help. 020 3950 0360
Who are CJAZ Consulting?
Professional Managed IT Support
Established in 2006 and with hundreds of satisfied customers, CJAZ consulting is an independent MSP (Managed Service Provider) offering a responsive, reliable and trusted Helpdesk service to take all your IT worries away.
Based in Cockfosters, Hertfordshire, we can easily manage and support our clients based in London and the South East either remotely or by visiting onsite when the need arises.
As we’re not tied to any particular brand, we can provide tailored and cost-effective IT solutions that allow you to concentrate on running and growing your business, leaving the rest to our experienced IT Team.
Regardless of company size and IT complexity, we treat every customer equally, you can be assured all of your IT needs are covered by your ongoing support package.
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