Cyber War 2025
The Power of Cyber Essentials for SMEs and Individuals
The digital revolution has transformed every facet of our lives, from how we do business to how we interact as individuals. But with this transformation comes a new breed of threat: cyber war. No longer confined to governments or large corporations, the digital battlefield now encompasses small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals alike. As AI-powered attacks, deepfake scams, and sophisticated phishing campaigns proliferate, the line between traditional warfare and digital conflict blurs further each day. This comprehensive guide explores the evolving risks, the specific threats facing both organisations and individuals, and how Cyber Essentials Certification—backed by the UK government—serves as a vital shield in this new era.¹²³
1. The Parallel Between Traditional and Cyber Wars
Just as traditional wars are fought on physical battlefields, modern conflicts are now waged in cyberspace. The motivations—financial gain, espionage, disruption, and even political manipulation—persist, but the weapons and tactics have evolved. Instead of tanks and missiles, today’s arsenal includes malware, ransomware, phishing emails, and AI-generated deepfakes. The targets are no longer just governments and large corporations; SMEs, charities, and individuals are now on the frontline.⁴⁵⁶
Key Similarities:
- Targets: Both traditional and cyber wars attack critical infrastructure, supply chains, and economic assets.⁴
- Tactics: Deception, impersonation, and sabotage are common in both realms.⁵
- Collateral Damage: Just as civilians can be caught in the crossfire of traditional wars, everyday businesses and individuals can suffer from widespread cyberattacks.⁶
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reported that the number of nationally significant cyber incidents more than doubled between 2023 and 2024, with a threefold increase in severe attacks, causing widespread disruption and financial loss.¹
2. The Escalating Risks: How Cyber Threats Are Evolving
Artificial intelligence has transformed cybercrime. Criminals now use generative AI to create convincing phishing emails, clone voices, and even produce realistic deepfake videos to impersonate executives, employees, or loved ones.⁵⁶
- Invoice Fraud and Deepfake Scams: AI-generated fraudulent invoices are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate ones. In one case, a Hong Kong company lost $25 million after a deepfake video call with “executives.”⁵
- Phishing, Vishing, and Social Engineering: AI-powered phishing campaigns craft highly personalised emails. Vishing (voice phishing) uses cloned voices to impersonate authority figures, with a 20% increase in small business attacks in 2025.⁵⁶
- Ransomware and Automated Exploits: AI-driven ransomware identifies vulnerabilities and launches attacks that encrypt critical data. Automated tools scan for weaknesses in software and systems, targeting SMEs that may lack resources for timely updates.⁴⁶
Despite technological advances, human error remains a key vulnerability. Over half of breaches start with a simple mistake—clicking a malicious link or trusting a fraudulent call.⁵⁶ - The Human Factor: Despite technological advances, human error remains a key vulnerability. Over half of breaches start with a simple mistake—clicking a malicious link or trusting a fraudulent call. ⁵⁶
3. SMEs: The New Prime Targets
Why SMEs Are at Greater Risk?
Many SMEs mistakenly believe they are too small to be targeted. In reality, they are often preferred by cybercriminals due to weaker defences, limited IT budgets, and less rigorous staff training.⁶³
Common Attacks on SMEs: Invoice scams using AI-generated invoices or emails, phishing and vishing (often using deepfake technology), ransomware attacks that cripple operations, credential stuffing using stolen credentials, and AI-generated social engineering via emails, calls, and video meetings.⁶
The impact is severe: SMEs accounted for 82% of ransomware victims in 2025, with attacks surging by 25% in the past year alone. Data theft prior to encryption has nearly doubled in frequency. One in three SMEs suffered a cyberattack last year, yet only 17% carry cyber insurance. Worse still, 32% of small businesses say that a single day of downtime, or roughly $10,000 in losses, could permanently put them out of business.⁶
4. Real-World Examples: The Human Cost of Cyber War
- Hong Kong Deepfake Scam: A finance worker transferred $25 million after a video call with what appeared to be company executives—all deepfakes.⁵
- UK Energy CEO Scam: Attackers used AI voice cloning to impersonate a CEO, convincing a subordinate to transfer £243,000.⁵
- Small Business Invoice Scam: A small business wired $1 million after receiving a call from a “vendor” whose voice had been cloned from a voicemail sample.⁶
- Ransomware Epidemic: 66% of organisations surveyed in 2024 reported a ransomware attack, with small businesses increasingly targeted.⁶
5. The UK Government’s Response: Cyber Essentials Certification
What Is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry-supported scheme designed to help organisations protect themselves against the most common online threats. It establishes a baseline of technical controls that, when implemented, significantly reduce the risk of cyberattacks.¹²³
Cyber Essentials certification is built around five core technical controls, each with a series of sub-requirements that organisations must meet. These controls are regularly updated to address the latest threats and reflect technological advances, such as the 2025 introduction of passwordless authentication and stricter patch management.¹⁷⁸
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6. The Five Technical Controls of Cyber Essentials (with Sub-Items)
The five Cyber Essentials technical controls, as defined in the April 2025 requirements, are:¹²³
- Firewalls and Routers
- Secure Configuration
- User Access Control
- Malware Protection
- Security Update Management
These sub-items collectively form the foundation of Cyber Essentials and are essential for protecting your organisation against common cyber threats.¹²³
7. How Cyber Essentials Shields Your Business
Proven Risk Reduction:
Certified organisations are up to 80% less likely to suffer a successful cyberattack, as the controls address the most common threats, providing a robust foundation for cyber resilience.³
Commercial and Reputational Benefits:
- Demonstrates commitment to cybersecurity
- Provides a competitive advantage in supply chains and client relationships
- Offers insurance incentives, including reduced premiums.³
Time and Cost Efficiency:
With #Asygma, SMEs can achieve certification quickly, saving valuable time and resources while ensuring robust protection 3. This is the Certificate of Assurance which proves you are certified. Often, new clients and suppliers, may require your company to produce this certificate to prove that your company operates under a secure framework. This is a common requirement for participating in tenders and when working with the government and companies with a stricter cyber security policy.
8. Practical Steps: How SMEs Can Get Certified
- Download the self-assessment questionnaire from IASME or NCSC.¹
- Define the scope of certification.¹
- Conduct a gap analysis.²
- Implement the five technical controls and their sub-items.¹²
- Train staff on phishing, vishing, and deepfake scams.⁵⁶
- Complete the assessment and address any feedback.³
- Achieve certification and display your commitment to cybersecurity.³
The process can take from a few days to several weeks, depending on your current security posture and resources.³
9. Beyond Certification: Building a Cyber-Resilient Culture
Certification is not a one-time fix. The threat landscape evolves rapidly, especially with AI-driven attacks. Regular reviews, updates, and staff training are essential.⁵⁶³
Key Recommendations:
- Verify unusual requests, especially for payments.⁶
- Implement multi-factor authentication.⁸
- Regularly update software and patch vulnerabilities.¹³
- Monitor networks for suspicious activity.¹
- Provide ongoing employee education on the latest threats.⁵⁶
10. The Bigger Picture: The UK’s Cybersecurity Ecosystem
The UK’s cybersecurity sector generated £13.2 billion in revenue in 2024, supporting over 67,000 jobs. Government initiatives aim to strengthen national resilience and foster innovation.³
The UK government’s National Cyber Security Strategy emphasises public-private collaboration, investment in new technologies, and support for SMEs to ensure the nation’s digital safety.¹⁷
11. Individuals on the Digital Frontline—How Cyber War Targets Everyone
The Expanding Attack Surface
The digital transformation of daily life—banking, shopping, socialising, and working online—has vastly expanded the attack surface for cybercriminals. The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 highlights that data breaches remain at historic highs, with over 1.3 billion victim notices issued in 2024 alone. While large-scale breaches make headlines, most attacks begin with individuals, exploiting human trust and error.⁴⁵
Why Individuals?
- Billions of potential targets.⁴
- 99% of cyberattacks require human interaction, such as clicking a malicious link.⁵
- Personal data, login credentials, and financial information are valuable on the dark web.⁴
- Attackers use automation and AI to scale and personalise attacks.⁵
Common Attacks Targeting Individuals:
- Phishing: AI-powered emails mimic legitimate communications from banks, employers, or services, tricking users into revealing credentials or installing malware.
- Vishing (Voice Phishing): AI-generated voices clone loved ones, colleagues, or authority figures, convincing victims to share sensitive information or transfer money.
- Deepfake Video and Audio Scams: AI-generated deepfakes create realistic video or audio impersonations to bypass identity verification or commit fraud.
- Malware and Ransomware: Personal devices are targeted with malware and ransomware, locking users out or stealing data.
- Social Engineering and Baiting: Attackers manipulate emotions—fear, curiosity, urgency—to trick victims into providing information or installing malware.
- Credential Theft and Identity Fraud: Stolen credentials are used to access accounts, commit fraud, or sell identities on the dark web.
The Human Factor
- Cybercriminals exploit human psychology, using urgency, fear, or trust to bypass technical defences. Research shows 99% of successful attacks require human interaction.⁵
Real-World Examples:
- AI-Generated Family Emergency: A parent receives a call from their “child,” cloned from social media, requesting money for an emergency.⁵
- Deepfake Job Offer: A job seeker is targeted by a deepfake recruiter collecting personal details.⁵
- Ransomware on Home Devices: A user downloads an app and is locked out of their laptop by ransomware.⁶
- Phishing via Social Media: A “friend” shares a link that installs malware, compromising accounts.⁵
The Risks for Individuals:
- Financial loss from direct theft or fraud.⁴
- Identity theft and fraudulent use of personal data.⁴⁵
- Privacy breaches, including exposure of sensitive information.⁴
- Reputational damage from hijacked accounts.⁵
- Emotional distress, anxiety, and loss of trust in digital systems.⁴⁵
How to Defend Yourself:
- Be wary of unsolicited emails, calls, or messages.⁵⁶
- Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager.¹³
- Enable multi-factor authentication.⁸
- Keep devices and software up to date.¹³
- Limit personal data shared online.⁴
- Recognise and report phishing and deepfakes.⁵
- Install reputable antivirus software and back up files.¹
- Educate family and friends about digital safety.⁵⁶
The Role of Cyber Essentials for Individuals:
While Cyber Essentials Certification is designed for organisations, its core principles—strong passwords, secure configurations, malware protection, access controls, and regular updates—are equally valuable for individuals. Adopting these best practices at home significantly reduces risk.¹³
If you would like to see a deep dive on the security for individuals in a future article, please drop me a line.
12. Conclusion: Prepare Today for the Cyber Wars of Tomorrow
Cyber war is a real and growing threat—for SMEs and individuals alike. The risks—financial, reputational, and operational—are too great to ignore. With the right defences, including Cyber Essentials Certification, your organisation can stand strong against even the most sophisticated attacks.¹³
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Arm your business with Cyber Essentials and proven digital hygiene, and join the ranks of those committed to a safer, more resilient digital future.³
References
- Cyber Essentials: Requirements for IT Infrastructure v3.2(NCSC, April 2025)
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/cyber-essentials-requirements-for-it-infrastructure-v3-2.pdf - Cyber Essentials: Overview and Requirements(National Cyber Security Centre, UK Government, 2025)
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview - Cyber Essentials Guide to Working with a Third-Party IT Provider(IASME Consortium)
https://iasme.co.uk/articles/cyber-essentials-guide-to-working-with-a-third-party-it-provider/ - Procurement Policy Note 014: Cyber Essentials Scheme(UK Government)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-014-cyber-essentials-scheme/ppn-014-cyber-essentials-scheme-html - NCSC News(National Cyber Security Centre)
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news - Cyber Security Guidance(National Cyber Security Centre)
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance - AI Cyber Security Guidance(UK Government)
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ai-cyber-security - Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architectures(Microsoft)
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/adoption/mcra
Glossary of Terms
- AI (Artificial Intelligence): Computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.
- Application Allow-Listing: A security practice where only approved applications are permitted to run on a system, blocking all others.
- BEC (Business Email Compromise): A type of cybercrime where attackers use email fraud to target businesses and trick employees into transferring money or sensitive data.
- Cloud Services: Online services and infrastructure provided over the internet, such as data storage, software, and computing power.
- Credential Stuffing: A cyberattack method where stolen account credentials are used to gain unauthorised access to user accounts through large-scale automated login requests.
- CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System): An open framework for rating the severity of security vulnerabilities in software.
- Cyber Essentials: A UK government-backed certification scheme that sets out a baseline of technical controls for organisations to protect against common cyber threats.
- Cyber Essentials Plus: An advanced level of Cyber Essentials certification that includes an independent technical audit.
- Deepfake: Synthetic media in which a person in an existing image, audio, or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness using artificial intelligence.
- Firewall: A network security device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
- Malware: Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): A security system that requires more than one method of authentication from independent categories of credentials to verify a user’s identity.
- Patch Management: The process of managing updates for software applications and technologies to fix vulnerabilities and improve functionality.
- Phishing: A cyberattack that uses disguised emails or messages to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or installing malware.
- Ransomware: A type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files and demands payment for the decryption key.
- Secure Configuration: The process of setting up computer systems and software in the most secure way possible to minimise vulnerabilities.
- SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise): Businesses whose personnel numbers and turnover fall below certain limits, making them more vulnerable to cyber threats due to limited resources.
- Social Engineering: Manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information, often by exploiting psychological factors.
- User Access Control: Security measures that restrict access to data and systems to authorised users only.
- Vishing: A form of phishing that uses phone calls or voice messages to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information.
- Zero Trust: A security concept based on the principle of not automatically trusting anything inside or outside the organisation’s perimeters and verifying everything trying to connect to its systems.
