LAST October, phone company Talk Talk made the headlines when its website was attacked.

What was less widely reported was the scale of IT security threat that all businesses now face.

No matter how large or small your business, you are at risk.

The first thing to do is protect your equipment from electronic threats.

Whether you use a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone, all are vulnerable. Good anti-virus software is essential as is a firewall to monitor and block threats.

This protection should be kept up to date, ideally daily as the threats change constantly.

Next you should protect your equipment from unauthorised access.

Set strong passwords (using a mix of letters, numbers and characters but never obvious dates or names of individuals or pets).

Prompt action should be taken if a device is lost or stolen. Mobile phones and other mobile devices should be capable of being wiped remotely. Data should be encrypted.

If you load data from disks or USB memory sticks, there is always the risk of importing malware or some other infection.

You should keep regular backups of your programs, data and documents. These should be kept securely, away from your main devices.

Beware of scam emails. Many people receive emails purporting to be from HMRC inviting them to apply on line for refunds apparently owed to them: these are not genuine and should never be opened or replied to. HMRC publishes advice on its website.

You can find more at ICAEW IT Faculty website at www.icaew.com/en/technical/information-technology and www.getsafeonline.org and at cyberstreetwise.com.

  • Paul Aplin OBE is a tax partner with A C Mole & Sons and chairman of the Technical Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales Tax Faculty; you can follow him on Twitter @PaulAplinOnTax. He and fellow tax partner Amanda Gunter can be contacted on 01823 624450.