Cyber Confidence for Small Businesses

🚨 Cyber Confidence for Small Businesses – Free Breakfast Events! 🚨

Are you a small business owner or sole trader in the North East? Want to boost your cyber security knowledge and protect your business from online threats?

Join us at Cyber Confidence for Small Businesses – a series of FREE business breakfasts across the region:

🥪 What’s included:

• Breakfast sandwiches, teas & coffees ☕
• Networking with fellow local businesses 🤝
• Expert sessions on cyber security from specialists 🛡️
• Talks from your local Cyber Protect Officers & the Regional Fraud Team
• An interactive cyber game 🎮
• Funded free referrals to award-winning services 🌟

📍 Dates & Locations:

• Durham Cricket Club Riverside – 27th Jan 2026, 09:00-13:00

All events are completely free – Non-technical and perfect for anyone looking to protect their business online.

✅ Spaces are limited – reserve your spot today!

Info: Enjoy a relaxing breakfast while connecting with other local business owners. Cybercrime affects businesses of every size - this is your opportunity to share experiences and connect with others who are facing the same challenges.

Info: Our specialists from NEROCU will break down the current threat picture for the North East — what’s actually happening now, who’s targeting businesses like yours, and how attack techniques are evolving. You’ll leave with clarity on why cybercrime isn’t an abstract “IT issue”, but a here-and-now financial and operational risk — and why proactive action matters.

Info: Ransomware is one of the most commercially damaging attack types in the UK today — but what actually happens when the note drops? In this session we’ll step through how a ransomware incident unfolds, the negotiation myths vs realities, and the decisions an organisation would be forced to make under pressure. You’ll understand not just the technical mechanics — but the business implications, legal considerations and hard-earned lessons from real cases.

Info: Take a break with coffee and take the opportunity to talk to our conference speakers and wider network.

Info: A highly practical, jargon-free session focused on what you can actually do today to strengthen your cyber resilience. We’ll walk through simple but high-impact measures — from access control to password policy to safe data handling — that most SMEs can implement quickly and cheaply. You’ll leave with a short priority list and clear next steps.

Info: Hear directly from specialists in our Economic Crime Unit about the fraud trends they’re seeing right now — what’s rising, what’s changing, and how criminals are adapting. This session will break down real techniques currently used in the wild (business email compromise, invoice redirection, deepfake voice calls, supply-chain spoofing etc.) and set out evidence-based steps to reduce risk inside your organisation.

Info: Escape within 30 minutes — if you can. This interactive game is built using the same social engineering, misdirection and open source techniques real cybercriminals apply. While you play, you’ll also learn: strong password hygiene, spotting red flags, decision-making under time pressure, and how “small slips” lead to major compromise. It’s fast, fun, and sticky learning — without a single slide deck.

Also check out other Business events in Chester-le-Street, Sports events in Chester-le-Street.