Sole Trader Cyber Resilience Questionnaire – Protectivity from Starpeak ACTIVCYBER Portal

Question 1 of 1

Take your first steps to making your business more resilient to cyber attacks

Just answer around 25 plain-English questions and we’ll send you a personalised report so you can get started.

Our cybersecurity resilience assessment has been designed specifically for small businesses.

It takes less than 10 minutes.

It’s completely free.

Receive customised results instantly (online version only).

And please don't worry, this is not a tool to generate leads so we can spam you with email.

We ask for your email address so we can send you the results - any other consent you give us is entirely up to you.

Your Name

Email Address *

We'll send your personalised report to this address.

I agree to the processing of my personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I also understand that a copy of my personalised report will be automatically sent to me at the email address given above. *

I agree to receive emails (no more than one per month) from ACTIVCYBER about its own products.

I understand that this is a remote service and is intended for guidance only. If I choose to make any changes as the result of this guidance, I do so at my own risk. *

What is your business name? *

What industry are you in? *

What are your main cybersecurity concerns? *

I don't know how relevant all this stuff is to my business I am unsure how prepared my business is for a cyber attack I am concerned about my business's ability to recover from a cyber incident I am unsure about whether my business complies with GDPR and other regulatory requirements I am unsure whether my business meets my customers' cybersecurity requirements I struggle to demonstrate the importance of cybersecurity to my colleagues and customers I am unsure if my current cybersecurity spending is sufficient Something else

How many employees in total does your business have? *

Just me 2-5 6-10 11-19 20+

Do you ever employ contractors? *

No 1 or 2 2-5 5+

A few questions on what you currently do

Do you ensure that any devices and software you use for your business are kept up-to-date with the latest updates? *

First think about desktops, laptops, tablets and phones and then think about the operating systems they use - like Windows, MacOS, Android or iOS - and the apps or software on them like Outlook, Chrome, Firefox etc

Yes No

Is your customers' data stored on a system that your business uses? *

You might just use an Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet, for example, or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Accountancy software like Hubspot, Xero, Zoho, FreeAgent etc

Yes No

Do you have a documented cybersecurity policy? *

This could be as short as 2 sides of A4 or many pages, but it essentially means you have thought about the systems you use, who uses them, how they\'re accessed, how you keep unwanted visitors out AND that you are set up to review that every year, for example, as your business changes

Yes No

Have you (or any employees) gone through any cybersecurity training? *

We are talking about training from reputable sources such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)

Yes No

Do you have up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software installed and working on all the devices you use for work? *

Think about all the devices you use for your business and then think if and when you last installed or updated antivirus software on them. If that was more than 3 months ago, you are starting to fall behind

Yes No

Do you back up your business and customer data regularly? *

This could be copies of data that you save to a physical hard drive that you then remove from the space you do business in (whether at home or in an office) or data that is backed-up to a cloud data storage service e.g. OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox etc

Yes No

Do you have a process for response and recovery in the event of a cyber incident? *

Again this only needs to be a short document for a sole trader or very small business but it shows that you have researched and then thought about what you and your business would do if you were hit by a cyber attack

Yes No

Now some questions about protecting your business and customer data

Do you take online or in-person card payments from customers? *

Yes No

Do you use a firewall to protect your home or office network? *

The box at your home or office that plugs into the broadband socket in the wall is your broadband router. If you have had a new one in the last 5 years, the chances are that it came pre-installed with a firewall switched-on. If not, or if you know you have changed the firewall settings, please answer 'no'

Yes No

Do you use strong passwords and enforce regular password changes? *

Strong passwords contain a mix of a minimum 15 characters, numbers and symbols that you only use once per account or device. Passwords in businesses should be changed frequently e.g. every 90 days

Yes No

Do you control access to sensitive data (e.g. user permissions)? *

Sensitive data doesn't just mean payment data, it means anything that the UK's GDPR (Data Protection) laws apply to e.g. the ability to be able to identify an individual by virtue of the data held which could be as simple as post code, date of birth, house number, email address etc

Yes No It's just me - I don't need to

Do you use any encryption methods to protect customer and other sensitive data? *

Encryption means that data you hold is only visible to someone on your system or who has access to your account(s). Some online services, such as OneDrive, encrypt data by default but, other hardware e.g. a Windows or Mac computer does not do so by default

Yes No I don't know

Do you use wi-fi for your business in your own office or at home? *

Yes No

Are any such networks secured with a strong password and WPA2 or WPA3 encryption? *

If you have a broadband router that is around 5 years old or less, then it is likely to have WPA2 encryption - older devices might not. Only new broadband routers from the last 12-18 months will generally have WPA3 encryption by default. Even then, have you changed the default password that came with the router?

Yes No I don't know

Do you use a shared office or co-working space? *

Yes No

Does that shared office space have a wi-fi network that you use for business? *

Yes No

Do you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in that shared office space to protect your business (and customer) data? *

VPNs provide a safe "tunnel" for you to communicate freely via a broadband connection. They are usually an app or a software program on a device, but can be a hardware "box" that does the same job

Yes No

Do you use any third-party applications or cloud storage services? *

Here we are referring to services like Xero, FreeAgent, Dropbox, OneDrive etc

Yes No

Do you have any security controls in place for these services? *

Although you might be the only, or one of 2 or 3 that has direct access to those services for your business, do you limit the access and control that third parties, such as accountants, only to what they actually need?

Yes No I don't know

Previous cybersecurity incidents ...

Has your business ever experienced a cyber incident (e.g. data breach, malware infection)? *

Yes No

Did you take any steps to improve your business resilience to another cyber attack as a result? *

Yes No

Why not? *

I didn't know where to turn The person or company I contacted wanted too much money I've been attacked once, surely lightning doesn't strike twice I did get some advice but I haven't yet put it into action

Calculating your results…

0 %

Generating your personalised analysis…

This report has been generated automatically based on the answers you provided and is intended as a practical starting point for improving your cyber resilience - not as a comprehensive security audit or professional advice. Every business is different, and the guidance here may not reflect every aspect of your specific situation. Vivo Lifestyle Services Ltd cannot accept liability for any decisions made, actions taken, or actions not taken in reliance on this report. We'd always encourage you to seek specialist advice for complex or high-risk issues. We hope you find it genuinely useful - and we're here to help you take the next steps.

Your data is stored securely. Request deletion of your data.

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Sole Trader Cyber Resilience Consultancy

Take your first steps to making your business more resilient to cyber attacks

What is your business name? *

What industry are you in? *

What are your main cybersecurity concerns? *

How many employees in total does your business have? *

Do you ever employ contractors? *

A few questions on what you currently do

Do you ensure that any devices and software you use for your business are kept up-to-date with the latest updates? *

Is your customers' data stored on a system that your business uses? *

Do you have a documented cybersecurity policy? *

Have you (or any employees) gone through any cybersecurity training? *

Do you have up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software installed and working on all the devices you use for work? *

Do you back up your business and customer data regularly? *

Do you have a process for response and recovery in the event of a cyber incident? *

Now some questions about protecting your business and customer data

Do you take online or in-person card payments from customers? *

Do you use a firewall to protect your home or office network? *

Do you use strong passwords and enforce regular password changes? *

Do you control access to sensitive data (e.g. user permissions)? *

Do you use any encryption methods to protect customer and other sensitive data? *

Do you use wi-fi for your business in your own office or at home? *

Are any such networks secured with a strong password and WPA2 or WPA3 encryption? *

Do you use a shared office or co-working space? *

Does that shared office space have a wi-fi network that you use for business? *

Do you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in that shared office space to protect your business (and customer) data? *

Do you use any third-party applications or cloud storage services? *

Do you have any security controls in place for these services? *

Previous cybersecurity incidents ...

Has your business ever experienced a cyber incident (e.g. data breach, malware infection)? *

Did you take any steps to improve your business resilience to another cyber attack as a result? *

Why not? *