Businesses in Kent are to be helped with advice on how to thwart hackers.

Kent County Council (KCC) has set up a new unit to combat internet criminals and those who aim to steal data.

It comes exactly a week after the NHS suffered a huge cyber attack after Malware was downloaded onto its servers.

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Companies and large organisations often serve as targets for this type of activity, and the Federation of Small Businesses has reported that two-thirds of its members have been victims.

Those affected have been targeted on four occasions on average, costing each business almost £3,000 in total.

KCC's cabinet member for community services, Mike Hill, said: "The cyber security threat has become more complex and each business must first understand what it means for them, their level of acceptable risk and key areas that need investment in cyber security.

“Most businesses carry out risk assessments and insure key elements of their business, but IT equipment, online assets and data is often overlooked.

"Cyber crime can bring down an entire business, whether that is stolen intellectual property, commercially sensitive information or operational data that can be encrypted by malware and held to ransom.

“That is why we have taken this action – to help protect Kent businesses from falling foul of this type of criminal activity.”

To find out more go to www.kent.gov.uk/cybercrime