In this episode of the Small Business Cybersecurity Guide, hosts Noel Bradford and Mauven McLeod are joined by Mark Bell from Authentrend (episode sponsor) to explain why the mobile phone, long promoted as a convenient authentication tool, can be one of the weakest links in your business security.

Using real-world examples, including a recent breach of a 15-person firm that relied on SMS one-time passwords, the trio outlines how simple attacks, such as SIM swapping and code interception, make SMS and many authenticator app workflows vulnerable to targeted attackers.

The hosts define multi-factor authentication in plain terms and introduce FIDO2/passkeys and hardware security keys as effective, phishing-resistant alternatives. Mark describes how hardware keys utilise public-key cryptography and local biometric verification (fingerprint on the key), ensuring that private credentials never leave the device, thereby preventing attackers from reusing intercepted codes or tricking users into authenticating to fake sites.

Practical implementation advice is covered in detail: start with a risk assessment, deploy keys in phases (prioritise privileged accounts and executives), run a pilot with high-risk users, and require at least two keys per user for redundancy. They discuss costs (roughly £45 per key, with a 10-year lifespan), the productivity and help-desk savings from passwordless authentication, the effects on cyber insurance and compliance (including Cyber Essentials updates and the gap between compliance and proper protection), and strategies for legacy systems and remote workers.

The episode also highlights human factors, including making authentication easy to use (biometric keys), providing clear training and internal champions, and anticipating user resistance, which can be managed through leadership buy-in and phased rollouts.

Listeners are urged to assess their critical accounts, prioritise hardware keys for high-risk users, and run a small pilot rather than waiting for discounts — because, as the guests stress, hardware keys can stop roughly 80% of credential-based breaches in practice.

Guests and links: Noel Bradford and Mauven MacLeod (hosts), with guest Mark Bell from Authentrend

The show notes include links to Authentrend products,NCSC guidance on passkeys and FIDO2, and step-by-step implementation resources for small businesses.

On October 19th, 2025, four men dressed as construction workers stole €102 million in French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in just seven minutes. The heist was poorly executed—thieves dropped items and failed to target the most valuable pieces—yet they succeeded spectacularly.

Why? Because the world's most visited museum had been ignoring basic cybersecurity warnings for over a decade.

In this hot take, Noel Bradford examines the shocking details that emerged after the heist: the password to the Louvre's video surveillance system was "LOUVRE." Security software was protected by "THALES" (the vendor's name). Windows 2000 and Server 2003 systems were still in operation years after support ended. And a 2015 security audit with 40 pages of recommendations won't be fully implemented until 2032.

This episode examines the consequences of institutions ignoring expert warnings, the importance of accountability, and what UK small businesses can learn from a €102 million failure. Spoiler: if your security is better than the Louvre's, you're doing something right.

Key Message: Security failures often begin long before the day of the breach. They start years earlier when warnings go unaddressed.

Noel Bradford brings over 40 years of IT and cybersecurity experience across enterprise and SMB sectors, including roles at Intel, Disney, and BBC. Currently serving as CIO and Head of Technology for a boutique security-first MSP, Noel specialises in translating enterprise-grade cybersecurity expertise into practical, affordable solutions for UK small businesses with 5-50 employees.

His philosophy centres on "perfect security is the enemy of any security at all," focusing on real-world constraints and actionable advice over theoretical discussions. Noel's direct, no-nonsense approach has helped "The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast" achieve Top 90 Business Podcast status in the USA and Top 170 in the UK, with a unique cross-Atlantic audience (47% American, 39% British).

The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional cybersecurity, legal, or financial advice. Listeners should consult qualified professionals for guidance specific to their circumstances.

Product and service mentions, including sponsors, are provided for informational purposes. The host and podcast do not guarantee results from implementing suggested strategies or using mentioned products.

All case studies and incidents discussed are based on publicly available information and reporting. Facts are verified against multiple authoritative sources before publication.

© 2025 The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast. All rights reserved.

Host: Noel Bradford

Special Thanks: ANSSI (for their audit work that we wish the Louvre had acted upon), Libération journalist Brice Le Borgne (for his investigative reporting), and UK small businesses everywhere who take security more seriously than world-famous museums apparently do.

#Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness #UKBusiness #PasswordSecurity #Louvre #DataBreach #HardwareAuthentication #FIDO2 #CyberAccountability #InformationSecurity #RiskManagement #SMBSecurity #CyberNews #HotTake #BusinessPodcast

Next Episode: Coming Soon - Criminal Accountability for Cybersecurity Negligence (Two-Part Series)

Average Episode Downloads: 3,000+ per day at peak

In this episode Graham and Mauven break down a major overhaul to Cyber Essentials coming into force from April 2026. The hosts explain the headline change — mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) for every cloud service with no loopholes — and how the scheme has tightened scoping so any internet-connected service or system that processes company data is now in scope.

Topics covered include the new emphasis on passwordless authentication (passkeys, FIDO2 hardware keys, and biometrics), why the NCSC is pushing these technologies, and the practical security benefits and limits of passwordless solutions. They also discuss the real-world impact on small businesses: thousands currently relying on weak passwords or shadow IT will face failed assessments, unsupported software will trigger instant fails, and many firms will need to budget for MFA where it’s not free.

Graham and Mauven share concrete, actionable advice for listeners: inventory every cloud service (including forgotten Dropbox or personal Gmail accounts used for work), involve the whole team, enable MFA everywhere possible (and budget for paid options), collect and document evidence (screenshots, logs), map networks and implement segmentation where needed, and plan early to avoid rush and audit pain.

Key takeaways: the bar is being raised to reduce simple attacks, passwordless is being validated as a practical option, expect a drop in pass rates at renewal time, and businesses should start preparing now or face chaotic assessment outcomes. Hosts: Graham Falkner and Mauven MacLeod.

Ethical considerations:

This Halloween special of the Small Business Cyber Security Guy peels back the curtain on the scariest place hackers hide: the tools and toolchains you trust. Hosts Graeme Falkner, Noel Bradford and Mauven MacLeod go ghost hunting inside compilers, build systems and update pipelines to show how supply‑chain attacks can insert backdoors that you’ll never spot by reading source code alone.

The episode revisits Ken Thompson’s classic compiler backdoor thought experiment and explains, in plain language, how a compromised compiler can propagate secrets invisibly. The hosts walk through real incidents — XcodeGhost, SolarWinds, EventStream, and Log4j — to demonstrate how attackers target development tools and upstream suppliers to compromise software at scale.

Expect practical, small-business-focused anecdotes (including a midnight accounting patch that wreaked havoc) and clear explanations of why technical debt, single-developer codebases, and blind trust in update pop-ups are dangerous. The conversation highlights how even open-source software can be compromised if maintainers or dependencies are compromised.

The episode also covers defences and takeaways: demand provenance and supply-chain transparency from vendors, insist on reproducible builds where possible, use two-person reviews and well-maintained dependencies, and protect access with strong authentication. The hosts debate how to distribute trust, verify your verifiers, and reduce single points of failure so one compromised supplier or contractor can’t haunt your whole business.

There’s a sponsor segment from Authentrend about passwordless biometric sign-ins as a way to block credential-based intrusions, along with links to resources and a trial, in the show notes. Throughout, the hosts balance technical history and horror stories with concrete steps small businesses can take now to keep their compilers and supply chains clean.

Listen for clear, actionable advice for small businesses, including how to ask vendors the right questions, when to bring in trusted IT partners, and simple measures to keep the lights on and the doors locked against the ghosts in your code. Sláinte — and may your backups never rise from the grave.

Ever cut a cost that seemed obviously wasteful, only to discover you'd destroyed something far more valuable? Welcome to the Doorman Fallacy —it's probably happening in your business right now.

In this episode, Noel Bradford introduces a concept from marketing expert Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy" that explains precisely why "sensible" security cost-cutting so often leads to catastrophic consequences. Through five devastating real-world case studies, we explore how businesses optimise themselves into oblivion by defining roles too narrowly and measuring only what's easy to count.

Spoiler alert: The doorman does far more than open doors. And your security measures do far more than their obvious functions.

1. The Security Training Fallacy (Chapter 2)

2. The Cyber Insurance Fallacy (Chapter 3)

3. The Dave Automation Fallacy (Chapter 4)

4. The MFA Friction Fallacy (Chapter 5)

5. The Vendor Relationship Fallacy (Chapter 6)

Common pattern: Small measurable savings, catastrophic unmeasurable consequences.

Before cutting any security costs, ask yourself:

Review your most recent efficiency or cost-cutting decision. Ask:

Instead of measuring cost-per-hour or savings-per-quarter, measure:

Budget constraints are legitimate. The solution isn't "never cut anything." It's:

"The doorman's job is opening doors. So we replaced him with an automatic door. Saved £35,000 a year. Lost £200,000 in revenue because the hotel stopped feeling luxurious. That's the Doorman Fallacy." — Noel

"Security training's nominal function is delivering information. Its actual function is building culture. Cut the training, lose the culture, then wonder why nobody reports suspicious emails anymore." — Noel

"We saved £8,000 on training. Spent £70,000 on the Business Email Compromise attack that training would have prevented. The CFO was very proud of the efficiency gains." — Noel

"You can't prove a negative. Can't show the value of the disasters you prevented because they didn't happen. So the training gets cut, the insurance gets cancelled, and everyone acts surprised when the predictable occurs." — Mauven

"The efficiency consultant's dream outcome: Measurable cost eliminated, unmeasurable value destroyed, everyone confused about why things feel worse despite the improvement." — Noel

Total Runtime: Approximately 62 minutes

Authentrend - Biometric FIDO2 Security Solutions

This episode is brought to you by Authentrend, which provides passwordless authentication solutions that address the friction problem discussed in Chapter 5. Their ATKey products use built-in fingerprint authentication—no passwords, no PIN codes, just five-second authentication that's both convenient AND phishing-resistant. Microsoft-certified, FIDO Alliance-trusted, and designed for small businesses that need enterprise-grade security without enterprise-level complexity.

Learn more: authentrend.com

Mentioned in This Episode:

Useful Tools & Guides:

UK-Specific Resources:

Noel Bradford brings 40+ years of IT and cybersecurity experience from Intel, Disney, and the BBC to small-business cybersecurity. Now serving as CIO/Head of Technology for a boutique security-first MSP, he specialises in translating enterprise-level security to SMB budgets and constraints.

Mauven MacLeod is an ex-government cyber analyst who now works in the private sector helping businesses implement government-level security practices in commercial reality—her background bridges national security threat awareness with practical small business constraints.

New episodes every Monday at Noon UK Time!

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#Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness #SMB #InfoSec #CyberInsurance #MFA #SecurityTraining #ITManagement #BusinessSecurity #RiskManagement #DoormanFallacy #BehavioralEconomics #SecurityROI #UKBusiness #CostBenefit #SecurityCulture #IncidentResponse #VendorManagement #Authentrend #FIDO2 #PasswordlessAuthentication

The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast provides educational information and general guidance on cybersecurity topics. Content should not be considered professional security advice for your specific situation. Always consult qualified cybersecurity professionals for implementation guidance tailored to your organisation's needs.

Copyright © 2025 The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast. All rights reserved.

Got a question or topic suggestion? Email us at [email protected] or leave a comment below!

Hosts Mauven MacLeod and Graham Falkner deliver a fiery rant about the recent AWS US East 1 DNS outage and what it reveals about our dependence on cloud services. In this episode, they unpack the outage's real-world impact — from Snapchat and Venmo outages to Philips Hue bulbs and automated litter boxes going dark — and share colourful personal anecdotes, including a navigation fail on a Loch Lomond walk and a high‑tech mattress that turns into an expensive paperweight when the cloud hiccups.

The pair dig into the technical and cultural roots of the problem: DNS as an ageing single point of failure, the dangers of concentrating critical infrastructure in one region, cost‑cutting that sacrifices resilience, and the worrying effects of automation and staff churn. They discuss how small businesses, banks, gaming platforms, and everyday consumers all found themselves unable to process payments, take bookings, or even turn on a light due to a single regional fault.

Mauven and Graham also examine the human side of outages — exhausted sysadmins, online threads that read like group therapy, and the blurred line between human operators and automated systems shipping production code. They mock the absurdity of smart devices that need the internet to perform basic functions, and contrast that with the resilience of simple, offline tech (their beloved vinyl collections make a cameo).

Finally, the episode offers a clear call to action: rethink resilience. Topics covered include multi‑cloud and hybrid strategies, decentralisation, offline fallback modes or “stupid mode” for essential devices, and the need to prioritise technical debt and redundancy over short‑term savings. Expect sharp humour, practical frustrations, and a promise of tangible fixes and advice in the next episode — plus plenty of memes and sympathy for the folks keeping the lights on.

Vendors love throwing around "InfoSec," "CyberSec," and "IT Security" like they're selling completely different solutions. Half the time it's the same thing with three different price tags. The other half? You're buying protection that doesn't address your actual risks.

With 50% of UK small businesses hit by cyber incidents in 2025 and 60% closing within six months of severe data loss, getting this wrong isn't just expensive—it's potentially fatal to your business.

Noel Bradford (40+ years wrangling enterprise security at Intel, Disney, and BBC) and Mauven MacLeod (ex-Government Cyber analyst who's seen threats at the national security level) cut through the marketing rubbish to explain what each approach actually does, what they really cost, and which one your business needs right now.

No vendor pitch. No corporate speak. Just the brutal truth about what works for UK SMBs.

Special Listener Offer: £40 per FIDO2 security key (regular £45) - Valid until December 22nd, 2025

We only accept sponsorships from companies whose products we already recommend to clients. Authentrend's ATKey series provides FIDO Alliance Level 2 certified, phishing-resistant authentication at competitive pricing. Same cryptographic protection as premium brands, without the premium price tag.

Why we're comfortable with this sponsorship: We've been specifying Authentrend keys for UK SMB clients for months because the math works. FIDO2 hardware security keys stop the credential phishing attacks that cause 85% of cyber incidents. At £40-45 per key (two per employee for backup), you're looking at £80-90 per person for protection that actually works.

Learn more: authentrend.com

Authentrend ATKey Series (Episode Sponsor)

Why hardware security keys matter:

15-20 employee business, first year total: £6,200-£14,500

Ongoing costs (Year 2+): £3,800-£11,100 annually

Noel Bradford - CIO/Head of Technology, Boutique Security First MSP

Mauven MacLeod - Ex-Government Cyber Analyst

We only accept sponsorships from security vendors whose products we already recommend to UK SMB clients independently. If we wouldn't deploy it ourselves or specify it for consulting engagements, we won't accept sponsorship money for it.

Why Authentrend: We've been recommending their FIDO2-certified hardware security keys to clients for months because:

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Start with what you can manage, do it properly, and build from there.

"Government Cyber Initiatives: Why Whitehall's Digital Strategy Keeps Failing UK Businesses"

The NCSC produces world-class guidance. Unfortunately, most of it assumes you have dedicated security teams and enterprise budgets. We'll examine why government cybersecurity initiatives consistently miss the mark for the businesses that need help most, and what UK SMBs should actually implement instead.

The biggest security risk is doing nothing while you debate the perfect approach.

Stop wasting money on expensive security theatre. Start with IT Security fundamentals that actually protect against the threats you face. Get phishing-resistant authentication in place. Test your backups. Train your staff.

Everything else can come later.

#Cybersecurity #InformationSecurity #ITSecurity #UKSmallBusiness #SMB #UKGDPR #CyberEssentials #DataProtection #ICO #BusinessSecurity #CyberThreats #SecurityBudget #NCSC #UKBusiness #SmallBusinessUK #FIDO2 #PhishingResistant #MFA #Authentrend #HardwareSecurityKeys #AuthenticationSecurity

Noel and Mauven unpack Discord’s third-party breach that exposed government-ID checks from age-appeal cases, then weigh it against Westminster’s push for a nationwide digital ID. It’s a frank look at how outsourcing, age-verification mandates and data-hungry processes collide with real-world security on the ground. Expect straight talk and practical fixes for UK SMBs.

What actually happened at Discord: a contractor compromise affecting support/Trust & Safety workflows, not Discord’s core systems; notifications issued; vendor relationship severed; law-enforcement engaged.

Why age-verification data is dynamite: passports and licences used for “prove your age” are a high-value, high-liability dataset for any platform or vendor.

The UK digital ID plan, clarified: free digital ID, phased rollout this Parliament, and mandatory for Right to Work checks rather than everyone by default. What that means for employers, suppliers and software choices.

Public sentiment vs promised safety: Britons broadly back “age checks” in principle but expect more data compromise and censorship risk, and doubt effectiveness.

You can’t outsource accountability. If a payroll, KYC, helpdesk or verification vendor mishandles data, your customers still see your name on the breach notice.

Age and identity checks creep into ordinary business flows. HR onboarding, ticketing, and customer support can accumulate sensitive documents if you let them.

Centralising identity increases the jackpot for attackers. Your job is to minimise what you collect and partition what you must keep.

Do not collect what you can’t protect. Prefer attribute proofs over document uploads.

Limit blast radius. Separate systems, short retention, hard deletion, and vendor access that is time-boxed and device-checked.

Contract like you mean it. Specify MFA, device compliance, immutable logging, breach SLAs, and verifiable deletion in vendor agreements.

Prepare your Right-to-Work path now. Choose flows that avoid copying and storing underlying documents.

Map every place you’re collecting ID or age proof today. Kill non-essential collection.

Where age is required, adopt attribute-based verification that proves “over 18” without revealing full identity.

Move any remaining uploads behind automatic redaction, strict retention, and encryption with keys you control.

Enforce vendor MFA via your IdP, require compliant devices, and review access logs weekly.

Run DPIAs for onboarding, support and HR flows that touch identity documents.

Rehearse your breach comms. Aim to say: “only an age token was exposed, not source documents.”

Setting the scene: a breach born in the support queue

Why ID uploads are a liability multiplier

The UK’s digital ID plan, without the spin

Vendor risk is your risk

Practical fixes you can implement before lunch

Q&A and what to do if you uploaded ID to Discord

Treat notices as real; monitor credit; be alert to targeted phishing; don’t re-upload documents to unsolicited “verification” links.

Subscribe, rate and review. Share this episode with a business owner who still stores passport scans in their helpdesk.

Send questions or topic requests for future episodes.

Microsoft has released the October 2025 Patch Tuesday update, and the numbers tell a serious story: 172 security flaws patched, six of them zero-day exploits already in the wild. For UK small businesses, this is more than routine maintenance; these updates protect against vulnerabilities that attackers are actively exploiting to break into systems like yours.

Graham Falkner cuts through the technical jargon to explain what these updates actually mean for your business, shares a real-world story of a local bakery that nearly lost everything, and walks through the practical steps you need to take today.

Linda's Bakery nearly lost a week's worth of turnover after ransomware exploited an unpatched zero-day vulnerability. The attack was fast, the data was locked, and only a quick backup restoration saved her business. Graham uses this story to demonstrate why these updates have tangible consequences for small businesses across the UK.

Beyond patching vulnerabilities, the October update brings nine useful new features for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2:

Improved Phishing Protection

Enhanced Device Control Settings

Wi-Fi Security Dashboard

Built-in Password Manager Improvements

AI Actions in File Explorer

Notification Centre on Secondary Monitors

Moveable System Indicators

Administrator Protection

Passkey Support for Third-Party Providers

Schedule Your Updates

Verify Installation Success

Back Up Before Updating

Know Your Rollback Options

Document Your Process

Regular Review Schedule

Consider Automation

Staff Training

"When you've got bugs that can lead to unauthorised access, stolen data, or a business-crippling ransomware attack, you simply can't afford to fall behind."

"These updates have real-world impact. I'm not talking theoretical."

"Don't leave your business exposed whilst attackers are combing these patch notes, looking for firms running behind."

"Not updating isn't just risky, it's old-fashioned."

"The strongest business is the one that learns just a bit faster than the crooks."

Whether you're a florist in Aberdeen or a solicitor's office in Kent, cybersecurity isn't about ticking an IT box. These updates protect your ability to keep the cash register ringing and maintain customer trust.

Business-crippling ransomware attacks don't just happen to large corporations. Small businesses are increasingly targeted because attackers know you often lack dedicated IT resources and may be running behind on updates.

Whilst Graham doesn't dive deep into compliance in this Hot Take, remember that unpatched systems can create regulatory headaches:

Microsoft removed the Agere Modem driver (ltmdm64.sys) after evidence of abuse for privilege escalation. If you rely on Fax modem hardware using this driver, it will cease functioning after this update.

Host: Graham Falkner

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