Shropshire Chamber of Commerce is offering manufacturers additional support to protect themselves from the growing risk of cyber attacks.

It is inviting businesses to learn more about the steps they could take by joining a free webinar on Thursday November 5, from 10am to 11am.

The Cyber Resilience for Small and Medium Manufacturing Businesses session will be hosted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

It will focus on straightforward, practical advice to help smaller manufacturers protect their businesses, people and operations.

Chamber events manager Grace Bywater said: “Manufacturing businesses are prime targets for cyber attacks due to their fast-paced production lines, massive downtime costs, and the pressure to restore operations quickly following an attack.

“Some huge businesses are being struck by cyber attacks art the moment, and we believe this webinar could make a real difference in helping firms to identify the risks, and find out about systems that could offer effective and in-depth protection.”

She said the session would cover common cyber risks facing the manufacturing sector, offer advice on simple steps businesses could take to improve their security, and information about the tools and support available from the NCSC.

“There will also be an opportunity to ask questions relating to individual manufacturers’ circumstances, and any concerns they may have about their cyber operations.

“The webinar is aimed at businesses from right across the manufacturing sector – from small workshops and microbusinesses through to larger SME production facilities – and delegates will not need any prior technical knowledge to take part as everything will be explained fully on the day.”

Shropshire Chamber is also offering discounted Cyber Essentials certification to members through a partnership with IASME.

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification scheme focused on five key technical controls which have been shown to help protect organisations against the most common cyber threats. Chamber members can access discounted certification, training, guidance and readiness tools through the programme.