Worcester-based IT security specialists Encription went to the rescue of corporate hospitality company watchfromabox.com after its website was hacked.
Hackers had found a way into the website and effectively prevented visitors to the site viewing the pull down menus which provide information about the events on offer.
The site was temporarily closed down while the site was made secure, putting the company out of business for a few hours, but things could have been a lot worse.
Director of watchfromabox.com, Tom Warsop said: "Watchfromabox.com is an independent corporate hospitality portal that provides users with access to the entire range of official and exclusive hospitality packages available at all sporting and cultural events throughout the UK and Europe.
"Our business is totally web-based so I'm sure you can imagine the damage that could have been caused if the hackers had shut the website down.
"Sheer panic went through me when I saw the message 'you have been hacked' on one of our pull down menus.
"Fortunately, encription were able to come quickly to our aid; they confirmed that the hackers hadn't been able to access any of our confidential data, and our website was soon up and running again.
"However, this incident has really brought home to us how vital it is to have effective security measures in place to protect our business. IT security may not be top of the agenda for many businesses, but this shows that it really should be given priority."
Tony McDowell, director of encription, who was called in to restore and secure the website from future attacks, said: "Watchfromabox.com had a lucky escape. Once they've entered your website, hackers can do untold damage, including accessing confidential data and stealing funds.
"Fortunately, in this case, this didn't happen.
"But it should serve as a warning to other businesses that it's better to be safe than sorry.
"We were also able to quickly identify the location and internet service provider (ISP) of the hacker and report him to the relevant authorities, but even if he gets caught, he is just one of a growing number of cyber criminals furtively attacking businesses, in ever more sophisticated ways, from all parts of the world."
