The Small
Business
Cyber Security Guy
⭐100K+ Monthly Downloads | ⭐Top 20 Apple Management | 🎧>2.5K per episode
Welcome to the blog and podcast, where we share brutally honest views, sharp opinions, and lived experience from four decades in the technology trenches. Whether you're here to read or tune in, expect no corporate fluff and no pulled punches.
Everything here is personal. These are my and the team’s thoughts, not those of our employers, clients, or any poor soul professionally tied to me. If you’re offended, take it up with me, not them.
What you’ll get here (and on the podcast):
Straight-talking advice for small businesses that want to stay secure
Honest takes on cybersecurity trends, IT malpractice, and vendor nonsense
The occasional rant — and yes, the occasional expletive
War stories from the frontlines (names changed to protect the spectacularly guilty)
I've been doing this for over 40 years. I’ve seen genius, idiocy, and everything in between. Some of it makes headlines, and most of it should.
This blog and the podcast is where we unpack it all. Pull up a chair.
The Synnovis Ransomware Disaster: Complete Timeline and Technical Analysis
On 3 June 2024, the Qilin ransomware gang compromised Synnovis, a pathology provider serving NHS hospitals across southeast London. Blood testing collapsed. Over 10,000 appointments were cancelled. More than 1,700 operations were postponed. A patient died waiting for test results that never arrived. The attack succeeded because multi-factor authentication was not enabled. Here is the complete timeline of how a preventable security failure cascaded into catastrophic harm, the technical details of the attack vector, the devastating human and financial cost, and what every UK business must learn from this disaster. This is what happens when free security controls are ignored.
⚠️ Full Disclaimer
This is my personal blog. The views, opinions, and content shared here are mine and mine alone. They do not reflect or represent the views, beliefs, or policies of:
My employer
Any current or past clients, suppliers, or partners
Any other organisation I’m affiliated with in any capacity
Nothing here should be taken as formal advice — legal, technical, financial, or otherwise. If you’re making decisions for your business, always seek professional advice tailored to your situation.
Where I mention products, services, or companies, that’s based purely on my own experience and opinions — I’m not being paid to promote anything. If that ever changes, I’ll make it clear.
In short: This is my personal space to share my personal views. No one else is responsible for what’s written here — so if you have a problem with something, take it up with me, not my employer.