Students starting their studies with the new AQA A-Level Business specification from Sept 2026 will be the first to explore the topic of cyber-security as they learn about the different types of business risk.

This article in the BBC highlights why the introduction of cyber-security to A-Level Business is so topical and relevant.

The BBC reports here how the UK government is urging businesses to keep physical, paper-based copies of their cyber-attack contingency plans.

The advice comes amid a rise in major cyber incidents that have disrupted major firms including Marks & Spencer, The Co-op, and Jaguar Land Rover, where production and supply chains were halted due to system outages.

Businesses need to prepare to operate without IT systems, ensuring they can quickly rebuild and maintain operations during an attack. Firms are encouraged to adopt “resilience engineering” — an approach focused not just on defence, but on anticipating, absorbing, and recovering from cyber disruptions.

Plans should outline alternative communication methods if email and digital tools are hacked and be stored offline or on paper to remain accessible.

Although the overall number of cyber incidents (429) this year is similar to 2023, the NCSC reports a sharp increase in “nationally significant” cases — 204 incidents, up from 89 last year.

Eighteen of these were classed as “highly significant,”.

Most attacks are financially motivated, often involving ransomware or data extortion by criminal gangs.

However, the UK has also seen a resurgence of teenage hackers, with seven arrests so far this year.