The first Scottish Cyber Awards will take place on Wednesday 16 November at the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh. Set up to recognise Scotland’s commitment towards cyber security excellence, the awards are timed to coincide with the one year anniversary of the launch of the Scottish Government’s Cyber Resilience strategy.

With cybercrime infiltrating all areas of life, a robust attitude towards cyber security is essential to protect both businesses and individuals. A 2011 Cabinet Office report estimated the cost of cybercrime to the UK economy to be approximately £27bn per annum, including a £3.1bn per annum loss to UK citizens. The figure in 2016 is likely to be much higher.

While business are most likely to be affected by cybercrime, individuals are also very vulnerable, especially to identity theft and online scams. The internet is a wonderful and life changing resource that should be open to everyone; it’s essential that those new to the online world are taught how to protect themselves against potential threats.

If your organisation is working hard to get people online whilst introducing them to internet security and how to stay safe,then apply to have your good work recognised with a National Cyber Award. The Cyber Resilient Community Impact Award may be of particular interest to those groups working within a community to raise awareness of cybercrime and build greater resilience to it.

For more information on the awards and how to apply click here.

Finally, if you’re interested in finding out about cybercrime from the perspective of someone who perpetrated it, How to Ruin Someone’s Life from the Comfort of your Own Beanbag (one of Traverse Theatre’s series of Edinburgh Festival breakfast plays) has been co-developed by a convicted hacker and explores the online subculture dedicated to ‘life ruining’.