Protect your information, protect yourself

May 1, 2021
Steve Atkins

Protect your business from Cyber Fraud.

Cybersecurity tips critical for all businesses

I love LinkedIn. You get to “meet” and converse with some great people and my experience yesterday was no exception. In fact, receiving a connection from Dinos Kerigan-Kyrou , a celebrated Cybersecurity Expert, and getting access to his Cybersecurity tips was a highlight in the 10 years + I have been using the platform!

We had a great discussion around the impact of Cyber fraud on business. How IT teams and business owners need to manage the very real threats posed by the IOT and Mobile devices (both personal and company owned). The speed at which information on the latest exploit’s spreads through the Dark Web for criminals to capitalize on. And, more recently, the new “working from home” world we live in. It is obviously a serious problem and one that requires constant vigilance to improve the chances of preventing an event happening or at worse, surviving the impact.

“The common thread of our conversation, interestingly, was that we have had remarkably similar experiences when it came down to getting the message across to our clients and the impact of Cyber crime on the victims. This even though Dinos is mainly involved with government organisations, blue chip enterprises and the military whilst I am working within the Small to Medium Business sector.”

Physical or Digital crime, is there a difference?

It is sometimes difficult to see the similarities between the threats of physical and virtual crime. It is easy to visualise a forced entry into your office or home, your computers stolen from the desks or your keys lifted, and your car stolen off the driveway. But a Hacker gaining entry to your IT network via an unpatched operating system? A Phishing email sent to an unaware worker, leading to your data being either encrypted or stolen? Or Social Engineering fraud to gain access to your bank accounts? These are often still viewed as threats that are reserved for enterprise or government organisations or even the latest James Bond movie.

The truth

The unfortunate truth is that we are all potential targets. Do you know of someone who has been affected by Cyber crime either on a personal or business level? This year the opportunities for criminals to target businesses and people have increased exponentially during the COVID-19 epidemic. From bogus messages and phone calls to an increase in Phishing and Whaling attacks, we must increase our vigilance. This is more difficult now many businesses have increased from one/two offices to 10’s or 100’s with Working From Home.

Dinos generously shared with me a link to a guide that he wrote for the NHS. This in his role within the Clinical Human Factors Group, a charity working to make healthcare safer. He will tell you that 99% of these Cybersecurity tips can be applied to any business and their staff. I am pleased to be able to share this guide with you and we hope you find it useful.

Contact us for more information.

Cybersecurity advice from Dinos

If you wish to explore the potential of certifying your business network under the Government Cyber Essentials / Cyber Essentials plus scheme, which provides a framework to secure your business, please contact us for more information.
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