Cybersecurity Expert

Ransomware tactics have continued to evolve over the years, and remain a prominent threat to both SMBs and larger organisations. Particularly during the peak of COVID-19,  research by IBM  found that ransomware incidents ‘exploded’ in June 2020, which saw twice as many ransomware attacks as the month prior, taking advantage of remote workers being away from the help of IT teams. The same research found that demands by cyber attackers are also increasing to as much as £31 million, which for businesses of any size, is detrimental for survival. In recent months, ransomware attacks have not left mainstream media headlines. And with the number and frequency of ransomware attacks increasing, not to mention the innovation in distribution methods, this should be a wake-up call for organisations to strengthen their defences. Jack Garnsey, Product Manager Security Awareness Training and SafeSend, VIPRE explains that by taking a preventative approach, businesses can take the necessary st...

Now everyone can learn what privacy means, how your privacy is impacted when using the web and mobile apps, and how to protect your privacy online thanks to a free course from Coventry University. The UK university has worked closely with experts including Pat Walshe at PrivacyMatters to create an informative online course, offering participants easy access to key information about how to keep their online privacy safe. Coventry University has a strong reputation for its digital education provision and online offering after it was ranked number 1 in the world for the delivery of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) by MOOCLabs for 2021. With people's information and digital footprint becoming increasingly sought after, the university hopes the course will build further awareness while helping people stay protected online. Typically, data is collected through cookies and pixels on websites or other means such as browser fingerprinting and trackers embedded in mobile apps. Track...

The United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) handled a record number of cybersecurity incidents over the last year, a 20% increase in cases handled the year before. With the increasing number and more innovative nature of cyber attacks, businesses of all sizes must prioritise cybersecurity. However, the fundamental starting point of any organisation’s security infrastructure must be a trained and aware workforce, who understand their responsibility in keeping business data safe. Oliver Paterson, Product Expert, VIPRE Security Awareness Training and Safesend , explains. Business Size Doesn’t Matter Whether a business is a start-up or a larger corporate organisation, all companies are at risk of a cyber-attack. We often see million-pound enterprises on the news when they suffer from a data breach, such as Estée Lauder, Microsoft and Broadvoice . But, no organisation is too small to target, including small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), who are the target for an es...

Article by Daniel Warelow, Product Manager at Giacom and Charles Preston, CEO & Founder of usecure Employees are a vital part of the security strategy Security Awareness Training the foundation of a Cyberculture Life and work as we know it is changing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and cybercriminals are using this to their advantage. A  new report  has found that more than one in four UK cyber-attacks have been related to the pandemic, and as attackers continue to come up with sophisticated and dangerous methods to attack businesses and individuals, cyber security measures must be prioritised.  Businesses can no longer rely on technology alone to mitigate the risks that come from cyber threats, especially while many workforces work remotely through the pandemic. Instead, they need to encourage their employees to work mindfully and responsibly on the frontlines of cyber defence. Daniel Warelow, Product Manager at Giacom and Charles Preston, CEO & Founder of ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses across all industries to revise their working processes and requirements. From shifting overnight to a remote working model, furloughing staff and operating in a challenging economic climate, many businesses were unprepared for these transitions. However, these changes highlight the important role of Human Resource departments in communicating, supporting and responding to the necessary adjustments and helping employees through the process.  HR's role in enforcing a strong cyber aware culture in the new normal As HR departments rethink and reconsider how they foster talent and strengthen their organisations, front and centre to that shift needs to be IT security, underpinned by digital tools and a cyber-aware culture. With a 31% increase in cyberattacks during the height of the pandemic, reinforcing cybersecurity should be at the top of HR’s agenda. Andrea Babbs, UK General Manager, VIPRE SafeSend , discusses what this new way of working...

Guest article by Andrea Babbs, UK General Manager at VIPRE Reliance on email as a fundamental function of business communication has been in place for some time. But as remote working has become a key factor for the majority of business during 2020, it’s arguably more important than ever as a communication tool. The fact that roughly 206.4 billion emails are sent and received each day means we’re all very familiar with that dreaded feeling of sending an email with typos, with the wrong attachment, or to the wrong contact. But this can be more than just an embarrassing mistake – the ramifications could, in fact, be catastrophic.  Check Please! Within the financial services, layered cybersecurity strategy is essential to keep sensitive information secure In particular, for the financial services industry that deals with highly sensitive information including monetary transactions and financial data, the consequences of this information falling into the wrong hands could mean the los...

Guest Post by Matt Cable, VP Solutions Architects & MD Europe, Certes Networks At the end of 2019, it was reported that the number of unfilled global IT security positions had reached over four million professionals, up from almost three million at the same time the previous year. This included 561,000 in North America and a staggering 2.6 million in APAC. The cybersecurity industry clearly has some gaps to fill. But it’s not just the number of open positions that presents an issue.  Research also shows that nearly half of firms are unable to carry out the basic tasks outlined in the UK government’s Cyber Essentials scheme, such as setting up firewalls, storing data and removing malware. Although this figure has improved since 2018, it is still far too high and is a growing concern. To compound matters, the disruption of COVID-19 this year has triggered a larger volume of attack vectors, with more employees working from home without sufficient security protocols and cyber att...

As organisations throughout the UK embrace Cyber Security Awareness Month, Intelligencia Training looks at why businesses are continuing to battle an increasing cyber skills gap. Following an audit in 2018, the UK government recently announced plans to conduct its second audit into the state of the country’s cyber security workforce. The initial audit published last year found that more than half of UK businesses had a “basic technical cyber security skills gap”. These findings didn’t come as a surprise, as Intelligencia, whose qualifications consist of the UK’s highest levels of vocational training available in intelligence and the only cyber security awareness programme with an official UK Government regulated qualification attached, explain that many organisations are overlooking the key weakness in their security infrastructure; their staff. With IT infrastructure becoming more robust and cyber threats from social engineering and spear phishing increasing, cyber security...