Scottish SMEs are set to benefit from a cyber incident response cadre that aims to help them tackle the growing scourge of cyber-attacks.

With figures showing that Scots firms lost more than £386 million to hackers in the last year alone, the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland has reaffirmed its commitment to provide these businesses with rapid cyber support through its National Incident Response Cadre.

The Cadre, formed of a collective of trusted cyber professionals from leading firms, will play a vital role in helping organisations respond to and recover from cyber incidents, helping small companies bear the brunt of financial loss, reputational damage, and operational disruption that inevitably follows a cyber-attack.

Among the current members of the Cadre are cyber firms like Secureworks, TechForce Cyber, and CyberCX, alongside tech service and comms providers, including Consider IT, KubeNet, Aspire Technology Solutions, Network ROI, and Clark Communications.

Also on board are a host of leading Scottish law firms, such as Anderson Strathern, Brodies, Burness Paull, and Morton Fraser MacRoberts, as well as global professional service firm, Accenture.

“We want every organisation to know that they’re not alone when facing a cyber-attack, our Cadre brings together trusted counsel from across disciplines to provide hands-on and timely support,” said Jude McCorry, CEO at the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland.

“Today, company heads can no longer think that it won’t ever happen to them, hackers work across the internet 24/7 to find chinks in the armor of unsuspecting organisations – and if big companies can be targeted so too can anyone.

“And whether technical containment is needed, legal advice or help communicating with stakeholders, this team is here to help recover and rebuild.”

Members of the Cadre will offer expertise across technical incident response support, legal guidance and corporate communications, ensuring that organisations receive comprehensive, practical help in their time of need.

Recommended reading

• Inside the Aftermath: What Really Happens When You Get Hacked
• Report: AI is Supercharging a Ransomware Boom
• Ransomware Attacks Forcing Half of Firms To Shut Down Operations

In addition to providing incident support, the Cadre will also contribute to threat scoping, intelligence sharing, and regularly participate in Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland events to share trends, insights and practical advice, to prevent cyber-attacks from happening in the first place.

Importantly, support will not be limited to large organisations, with the Cadre designed to help organisations of all sizes, and across various sectors, in navigating the scary, chaotic and high-stakes moments following a cyber-attack.

“We see first-hand the rising threat of cybercrime facing the business community,” said Julie Inglis, director at KubeNet.

“Strengthening Scotland’s cyber resilience is essential to protecting our economy, communities and fellow citizens. The Cadre is an essential pillar in creating awareness and delivering solutions for business that will help protect them from increasing threats. We look forward to working alongside and being part of the team of cyber professionals.”