In a world where so much communication takes place online, our personal and business security is constantly under threat. We store so much information online and often pay insufficient attention to putting in place and updating security measures that protect our personal and business data. What are the real risks and do we really need to services of cyber security companies?
In September a case was held at The Old Bailey where job hunters applying for positions at London’s Harrods store were targeted by cyber criminals. The position appeared to be posted by well-known recruitment company Blue Arrow, but this was a fraudulent cover. When the job hunters downloaded the job descriptions and application forms, they infected their computers with a bug. The hackers then retrieved personal details that enabled them to clear the job hunter’s bank accounts, totalling over a million pounds Ethical Hacking
This may seem a relatively small scale target, which has no relevance to you. So, imagine the detrimental effect if your company’s computers were targeted. Not only could your business data and finances be stolen, but in most cases valuable information regarding your clients, suppliers and partner organisations. If it is worth stealing the bank accounts of job hunters, imagine the value of your business to a competitor if a hacker were to sell your client database, intellectual property and profits.
PWC were commissioned by the department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to conduct a cyber-security survey with UK companies. The aim was to identify trends, specific threats and to build awareness of the risks to business. The results showed that security breaches were growing, particularly amongst SME’s. Large businesses were facing a significant attack every few days, leading to losses of funds and data. Despite this, most businesses were struggling to keep up with updates to security measures.