As Liverpool actively strengthens its position in the tech sector, so too does the need for effective protection of digital assets. Cybercrime has long ceased to be solely a problem for large corporations – today, it impacts small businesses, municipal systems, and even individual users. If you’re working in IT, launching a startup, or simply want to understand how secure your digital environment is, it’s worth checking out an article on liverpool-future.com to see how things stand in the field of cybersecurity in the heart of Merseyside.
This issue had been largely overlooked for quite some time, but the moment has arrived. Liverpool has launched a large-scale initiative involving the region’s leading universities, which holds not only academic but also practical significance, becoming a top priority.
Below, you’ll discover:
- Why small businesses in the North West of England are losing hundreds of millions of pounds annually due to cyberattacks.
- How the University of Liverpool and its partners are creating a “cyber corridor” to protect the region.
- What the CIL Cybersecurity Institute does and how it influences developments in the field.
- What steps local authorities, universities, and businesses are already taking to mitigate threats.
Let’s explore this topic together.
Cyberattacks Hitting Liverpool’s Small Businesses: The Scale of the Problem
Each year, small businesses in Liverpool and across the entire North West region are losing an average of £8,281 due to cyberattacks. Total losses have reached a staggering £798 million – and that’s just in the last year. These figures come from a Vodafone Business study, which highlights an alarming increase in attacks on small and medium-sized enterprises.
One in three businesses fell victim to at least one attack in 2024, with 5% of companies experiencing more than ten attacks in a single year. The most common methods include phishing, ransomware, and DDOS attacks, which can paralyse a company’s operations for days or even weeks.
The situation is compounded by the fact that most small companies lack both the budget and the staff to adequately protect their digital systems. Over 52% of employees haven’t received cybersecurity training, and a third of companies have no protective systems in place whatsoever. This is certainly cause for concern!
What’s more, one study revealed that 60% of employers allowed remote work using personal equipment, which led to unnecessary risk. However, over time, some leaders did restrict remote work, realising that the benefits of this format simply wouldn’t outweigh the potential losses.
Cybersecurity for small businesses is crucial not only due to the likelihood of financial loss. It also deals a blow to reputation, leads to a loss of customer trust, and incurs unpredictable recovery costs. This is precisely why Liverpool has begun to act systematically.
CyberFocus and the ‘Cyber Corridor’: The North West’s New Strategy
Liverpool has become a part of the ambitious CyberFocus initiative – a £4.9 million project designed to bolster the cyber resilience of the entire North West of England. It’s coordinated by Lancaster University with the support of six partner universities, including the University of Liverpool, as well as local authorities, business associations, and technology companies.
This project is part of the UK’s EPSRC research institution’s “Local Impact Acceleration Programme” and has a clear objective: to transform the region into a hub for knowledge exchange and innovation in cybersecurity. It’s not about isolated research but about creating tangible solutions that can protect businesses, communities, and infrastructure.
For the first time at an inter-regional level, the concept of a “cyber corridor” has emerged – a spatial cluster connecting Lancashire, Manchester, Cumbria, Merseyside, and Cheshire. It unites the research potential of seven universities, along with opportunities for data exchange, product development, and the testing of new security systems in real-world conditions.
For Liverpool, this is an excellent opportunity to solidify its position at the forefront of national digital policy – alongside traditional IT hubs. And it is here that the practical work begins, work that could fundamentally alter the level of cybersecurity at the local level.
Liverpool’s CIL: At the Forefront of Digital Protection
At the heart of Liverpool’s cyber initiatives is the local Cybersecurity Institute (CIL) at the University of Liverpool – one of the UK’s leading academic centres in this field. It is recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre as an academic Centre of Excellence, meaning its developments and research are shaping trends at a national level.
CIL combines fundamental theoretical research with practical solutions to combat modern cyber threats. Its experts work on critically important areas – classic security methods, the protection of internet rights, ensuring privacy, and more. A particular emphasis is placed on new contemporary issues: the use of artificial intelligence to strengthen cyber defences, as well as countering the threats that AI itself can create due to its “naivety.”
According to Professor Dominic Woźniak, Head of CIL, the institute aims to achieve a tangible impact on the region’s economy and security. As part of the CyberFocus project, a new training programme for specialists is being launched here – masters and researchers who will gain practical skills in cyber defence. This addresses the high demand for qualified personnel. Thus, CIL is forming the core of Liverpool’s cyber resilience at a time when attacks are becoming increasingly audacious.
Education, AI, and Partnerships: Training the Next Generation of Cyber Specialists
One of the main advantages of the CyberFocus project is its focus on training a new wave of specialists. There’s a severe shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals in the region, and the University of Liverpool has decided to bridge this gap through academic and practical programmes. Specifically, the reskilling of postgraduate students has been initiated, allowing them to gain a new specialisation in digital protection.
At the core of this training is a combination of deep technical knowledge and teamwork skills, along with an understanding of how businesses encounter cyber threats. Universities involved in CyberFocus are forging partnerships with companies, local authorities, and public organisations – so that students and researchers have the opportunity to work with live case studies, not just abstract models.
Particular attention is paid to artificial intelligence – and this is hardly surprising. On one hand, AI acts as a powerful tool for threat detection, forecasting, and strengthening defences. On the other, it itself becomes a source of new challenges: phishing attacks compiled by algorithms or deepfake manipulations are increasingly bypassing classic protection systems. This is precisely why research into the security of AI itself and the ethics of its use is among the priorities. For example, it is well known that AI-based systems in Liverpool assist in monitoring air pollution, but unfortunately, fraudsters also use it.
The programme is creating a powerful educational ecosystem where cybersecurity is an interdisciplinary field, combining engineering, psychology, law, and data analytics. This approach allows for the training of specialists who will react quickly to threats and be able to predict and preempt them. And this is precisely the type of leaders digital Liverpool needs.
