Cyber security is a top concern for many firms and their IT departments. Organisations are constantly threatened by hackers, malware, and other potential predators. One important threat to note is ransomware, and it can cost more than just precious data.
One of the main roles of government in any country is to protect its citizens from a variety of potential threats. With most countries of the world now participating in online activities, governments have been tasked with policing and the creation of legislation in an attempt to secure this new dimension. In some cases, enforcement is necessary, and this very enforcement has provided the United Kingdom with some impressive statistics in their Q3 (current) report on cybersecurity.
The world is a highly connected place. Whether online platforms are used for business, shopping, education or recreation, all have the common ability to fall victim to a breach in cyber security.
For those in the UK, a great opportunity to learn more about the latest trends in cyber security will occur when the CyberUK 2017 Conference comes to the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool, from the 14th to the 16th of March. CyberUK is an inaugural event hosted by the National Cyber Security Centre in association with the UK Government Communications Headquarters.
A recent global study conducted by Ponemon and funded by IBM Security shows that, of the 383 participating companies, 91 percent of healthcare organisations in 25 countries have been hit by at least one data breach in the past two years. The total cost of these breaches has been 6.2 billion US dollars (4.6 billion pounds), and an average impact of nearly 2.8 million pounds per breach.
On Monday, 3 October 2016, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in London opened its digital doors and launched operations. The government has determined that cyber is a Tier One threat to national and economic security, and given the many technological challenges the world now faces, such as terrorism and hacking, the Centre will focus on giving both private and public sectors the power to proactively handle these challenges. It comes as a part of the £1.9 billion National Cyber Security strategy, which is set to take place over the next five years.
Cloud computing is rapidly becoming the norm for businesses because of its ability to streamline data protection and sharing both within and outside of the organisation.
A May 2015 study conducted by 451 Research showed that 74 percent of respondents cited the cloud as their primary deployment method for workloads over the next two years.
With such a large number of businesses moving to the cloud, it is critical for IT professionals to be aware of regulations regarding this method of data storage and transfer.
In their report, Data Privacy in the Cloud, 451 Research addresses five issues that IT workers should keep a close eye on as the technological world moves forward:
Now that Britain has voted to leave the European Union, a cloud of questions has risen inquiring about issues ranging from the economy to culture. Since new laws and regulations have been passed for the European Union (EU), many are left confused as to what rules apply to them and which ones do not. An important regulation that cannot be forgotten is the upcoming General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Earlier this year, Lincolnshire County's IT was shut down for several days due to a ransomware attack. The attack penetrated multiple departments and put numerous individuals at risk, as their private information was infiltrated. The number and frequency of these attacks continues to increase leaving us to ponder what more could happen in future situations and what we can learn from this occurrence.
The National Childbirth Trust reported a data breach on 7 April 2016. This data breach has caused 15,000 members of their website to have their website registration details compromised. The NCT stresses that no financial or personal details were included in the compromised data.
The various technologies we use on a daily basis have made us dependent on Cyberspace: we store information in the cloud, share pictures on social media, make digital payments, etc. Now more than ever, there is a need to keep Cyberspace safe, and to do this, the UK government is looking to a generation that grew up with the internet.
The CyberFirst scheme was created as part of the UK government's National Cyber Security Programme. It includes a student bursary, as well as activities that are designed to introduce talented young people to career opportunities in Cyber and to support their education.
