Cyber At Large: This week's Big Picture

We were thinking of writing down a list of all the companies that have been targets of been Cyber Crime so far 2021... but it's a very, very long list. And since it not exactly enlightening to know that everyone, from the world's biggest organisations, to the smallest Mom-and-Pop's are being attacked altogether too frequently we'll spare you.

In the year from March 2020 to February 2021 almost half of all businesses (39%) and a quarter of all charities (26%) have reported being a target of Cyber Crime. And corresponding to the natural laws, the more juicy your business is, the more things will want to take a bite out of it. One-in-five out of those experiencing attacks also reported losing money, data or other assets.

To put this into a physical world context, imagine walking down your high street, and seeing half of the stores with the front windows smashed in and a fifth of those with people rummaging around in the store helping themselves to whatever takes their fancy.

Having said all that, we've also reached saturation point on Project Fear, and there is a silver lining to explore here. Since the most common type of attack by a whopping 83% is the phishing type why not use the wonderful Vilfredo Pareto's Principle of 80-20 to ensure you're in as safe a place as possible.

As 80% of attacks come in one particular format, it makes sense to spend a minimum of 20% of your resources developing resistance to that format of attack. Therefore, the most cost effective way to reduce vulnerability in your security posture (all other things being equal) is to improve your resistance to the areas or methods in which you are attacked the most.

So... how do you do this?

Glad you asked! First thing we're going to want to do is beef up the email security because if the phishing emails don't reach your colleagues in the first place, that's a no-brainer. Secondly, you're going to want to train your staff on the correct sequence in responding to these email threats on the (now far slimmer) chance that these emails do get through. And obviously, since you've now covered that surface area, it will drastically decrease the number of successful attacks and how damaging they are.

RS22 supply Security Awareness Training through our handpicked partners. Whom we recommend will vary depending on the personal needs of your business, your budget, and other resources so it's a great way to get clarity if you're feeling a little out of sorts.

So now, if you want to 'measure twice and cut once' by receiving impartial advice give us a call on 0121 389 9022, or check our Website www.rs22.co.uk

Statistics compiled from UK Government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2021

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