In this episode of Cyber Security Cairns, host Leigh Kefford — founder of National PC — talks about the real cyber threats facing small and medium businesses across Cairns and North Queensland.
From fake invoice scams to ransomware attacks, Leigh explains how most incidents start small but can have massive consequences. More importantly, he shares practical, human steps every business can take to stay protected — without the tech jargon.
Welcome back to Cyber Security Cairns, the podcast helping North Queensland businesses stay secure, smart, and stress-free with technology.
I’m Leigh Kefford from National PC, and today we’re diving into a topic that hits closer to home than most people realise — cyber security for small and medium businesses in Cairns.
I hear it all the time: “We’re just a small business; no one would target us.”
The truth? Cybercriminals don’t care about your size — they care about your weaknesses.
So in this episode, we’ll unpack:
What cyber threats are affecting Cairns businesses,
Why it’s happening more often, and
What practical steps you can take this week to protect your team and your data.Let’s start right here in Cairns.
Across tourism, trades, healthcare, and construction, we’re seeing the same pattern — businesses falling victim to email scams, fake invoices, and ransomware.
And most of these start with something simple:
Someone clicks a dodgy link,
A password gets reused, or
An update gets missed.
I’ve seen businesses completely locked out of their systems for days. One even lost thousands after an employee unknowingly paid a fake invoice that looked 100 % real.
It’s never about being careless — it’s about being busy. And when you’re juggling clients, staff, and operations, it’s easy for cyber security to slip down the list. But the cost of doing nothing is getting higher every year.Here’s the good news — protecting your business doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.
There are five simple things every Cairns business can do today that will make a huge difference:
Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – It adds a second step to your log-ins and blocks most unauthorised access attempts.
Keep your systems updated – Software updates close security holes before hackers find them.
Back up your data regularly – And test that you can actually restore it. Backups are your insurance policy.
Train your team – Even basic awareness training can stop someone from clicking that one bad link.
Use proper endpoint protection – Tools that monitor for suspicious behaviour and stop threats early.
These aren’t fancy extras — they’re the digital seatbelts of modern business.Cairns isn’t like the big cities.
We’ve got remote worksites, seasonal staff, and people constantly moving between offices, homes, and job locations.
That mobility is great for productivity — but it also increases risk. Every new laptop, phone, or Wi-Fi network is another potential entry point for an attacker.
And while big metro businesses might have dedicated IT departments, most Cairns companies don’t. That’s why local support matters.
When you’ve got a partner nearby who understands the region, the infrastructure, and even the quirks of the wet season, you’re not just getting technical help — you’re getting context and care.If you’re unsure where to begin, here’s a quick checklist you can run through this week:
Review your passwords and enable MFA on key accounts like Microsoft 365 and banking.
Confirm your backups are working — and that you can restore files if needed.
Schedule a short team meeting to talk about common scam emails and how to spot them.
Ask your IT provider (or us) to do a quick cyber health check.
Make security a recurring conversation, not a one-off project.
You don’t have to fix everything overnight — just start somewhere. The goal is to make steady improvements that build your resilience over time.Cyber security isn’t about fear — it’s about confidence.
It’s knowing that your business, your clients, and your reputation are protected.I’m Leigh Kefford — thanks for tuning in to Cyber Security Cairns.
Stay safe, stay secure, and as always — keep IT human.