Cyber crime poses a threat, not only through vulnerabilities, but through the lack of staff awareness. An absence of security processes and procedures are known to be a major risk to information security.

Businesses Fail to Take Action Against Cyber Crime

A recent Government survey has shown that despite 65% of large businesses having experienced a cyber breach or attack in recent years, only 51% have taken any recommended actions to identify and address vulnerabilities. Only 29% have formal written cyber security policies and only 10% have an incident management plan in place.

Every day thousands of computer systems are hacked, mostly to steal money or commercial information. GCHQ state that 80% of cyber attacks could be avoided by embedding simple security procedures and processes. This guidance is about getting those basics right.

Who Poses a Risk?

• There are many types of people who pose a threat to business information assets:
• Cyber criminals seeking to make money through fraud or from the sale of valuable business information
• Commercial competitors interested in gaining an economic advantage
• Hackers who enjoy the challenge of interfering with a company’s computer systems
• Hacktivists who do so for political or protest purposes
• Employees, who through either deliberate or accidental damage, or lack of awareness of information security processes, put the company at risk.

How to Reduce Cyber Crime

Basic information risk management can stop 80% of cyber attacks by staff adhering to information security procedures. It is often easier to trick someone into clicking a malicious link in an email that they think is from a friend or colleague than it is to hack into a computer system, particularly if a person is busy. There are many well-documented cases of hackers persuading staff to test passwords simply by masquerading on the telephone.

FOUR Security have developed a number of cyber crime prevention techniques. We support clients to mitigate the risk by raising the awareness of cyber crime risks. We support the development of customers’ cyber security policies and procedures and help review existing processes for effectiveness and resilience.

“Ensure you make cyber security part of your agenda and thereby manage the risk.”

For more information please contact Adrian Wilmshurst, Chief Executive:
Tel: 01780 755751