Manchester businessman on Twitter hack as GCHQ issues cyber attack warning

A Manchester businessman has detailed how hackers broke into his Twitter account and took complete control.

Aiden Ryan, the founder of Loaf Mcr, has recounted what happened and backed a call from the National Cyber Security Centre, which is a part of GCHQ, urging companies in the city to act now to protect themselves.

Mr Ryan has been speaking after new data revealed almost half of Manchester's small businesses suffered an online attack in 2022.

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According to the government’s 2022 Cyber Breaches Survey, 44% of small companies in the city suffered a cyber incident last year. That compares to an average of 38% across the UK.

The survey also found that Manchester firms are less likely than those in the rest of the UK to have a cyber incident response plan in place and are also less likely to have conducted staff training on cyber security.

The range of attacks against small businesses can vary widely, from business email compromise to denial of service and ransomware attacks.

To help small businesses, microbusinesses and sole traders improve their defences the NCSC has launched the Cyber Action Plan, which they can complete online in under five minutes to get tailored advice on how they can improve their cyber security.

A second service called Check your Cyber Security – which is accessible via the Cyber Action Plan – can be used by any small organisation including schools and charities and enables non-tech users to identify and fix cyber security issues within their businesses.

Lindy Cameron, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said: "Manchester has a thriving community of small businesses, but we know that that cyber