F or years, headlines have focused on data breaches at large corporations, banks, or government institutions. But in 2025, the reality has changed dramatically. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the UK have become the number one target for cybercriminals.
Why? Because small businesses are easier to breach, slower to respond, and often unaware of how exposed they really are.
GuardWEB was created to change that — by giving every UK business, no matter its size, access to enterprise-grade protection through smart, affordable monitoring.
The Myth of “Too Small to Hack”
Many business owners still believe hackers only go after big corporations. In reality, the majority of cyber attacks are automated. Hackers deploy bots that scan thousands of websites every day, looking for simple vulnerabilities — an outdated plugin, weak passwords, or a missing SSL certificate.
It’s not personal. It’s opportunistic.
And when an attack succeeds, the consequences can be devastating: stolen data, damaged reputation, lost search rankings, and weeks of downtime.

“In 2025, it’s not multinational corporations that face the highest risk — it’s the small businesses quietly running the UK economy. Cybercriminals no longer chase size; they chase weakness.”
GuardWEB Cyber Security Team
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Common Threats Small Businesses Face
The modern web landscape presents multiple attack surfaces. Some of the most common include:
Website Downtime and Defacement
A single hour of downtime can cost hundreds of pounds in lost traffic and missed opportunities.
Attackers sometimes deface websites to post spam or malicious content, leaving the owner scrambling to recover.
GuardWEB’s uptime monitoring instantly alerts you if your site goes offline or slows down. You’ll know before your customers do.


Google Business Profile Manipulation
A new wave of cybercriminals targets Google listings, changing phone numbers or URLs to redirect customers to fraudulent sites. Others post fake reviews to damage local SEO. GuardWEB monitors these changes 24/7 and alerts you to suspicious edits or review spikes.

