Businesses across Milton Keynes, North Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire are being warned to strengthen their defences against a surge in email hacking.
Specialists at Towergate Insurance say inboxes are becoming an increasingly valuable target for criminals seeking to steal data, impersonate account holders and defraud companies.
“Your email address is often the key to a wide range of accounts, from banking and shopping to cloud storage and business systems,” said Marc Rocker, head of cyber at Towergate, which will soon rebrand as Everywhen. “Once inside, a hacker can gather enough information to pass themselves off as you — and that can open the door to fraud, identity theft and targeted scams.”
Growing risk to SMEs
Towergate warns that many smaller businesses underestimate how much damage a single compromised account can cause. Aside from accessing confidential company information, criminals may use hacked inboxes to target customers and suppliers, potentially damaging relationships and reputations.
How to tell if you’ve been hacked
Indicators that an email account may be compromised include:
- Passwords suddenly being rejected
- Unfamiliar emails appearing in the sent folder
- Contacts reporting spam from your address
- Repeated password reset notifications from unknown websites
- A surge in junk mail
Acting fast can limit the damage
If you suspect a breach, Towergate recommends establishing how it happened — for example, through a phishing email or a wider data leak. Free tools such as Have I Been Pwned can reveal whether your details have appeared in known breaches.
Practical steps include setting a new, strong password, warning contacts about potential scams, checking for any changes to account settings, and switching on multifactor authentication. Installing reputable antivirus software can help detect any malicious activity. In severe cases, creating a new email address and updating all connected accounts may be necessary.
“These actions can’t undo a hack,” Marc said, “but they can stop it from getting worse and help protect your business in the future.”
Insurance as part of the toolkit
Cybercrime is now considered one of the most significant risks facing modern SMEs, yet Towergate says many firms in the region are still uninsured for it. The financial and operational impact, they warn, can be greater than many traditional risks companies cover as a matter of course.
To find out more about cyber insurance, call Towergate Insurance on 0330 029 5626 or visit our dedicated cyber insurance page at: www.towergate.com/more-products-and-services/cyber-data-and-crime-insurance/cyber-risk-management
