Cybercrime: Am I really safe?

Security by Obscurity.

This is a mindset employed by too many businesses these days – just make things relatively secure and hope they are not targeted. It’s a very thin line to walk on, especially considering the average cost of a data breach has been projected to exceed $150 million by 2020 [1].

1.68 billion email-related credentials were leaked in data breaches in 2018, according to a study by the Identity Theft Resource Center, and 1244 breaches were reported [2]. And they’re just the ones which were detected. A great deal of breaches are swept under the rug and not reported.

So how can you protect yourself, as to not become a victim?

It’s clear that a unified Information Security Management System (ISMS) is necessary to prevent, detect, and mitigate threats. Sensible organisations today are implementing the ISO 27001 standard to achieve this.

With the globally recognised ISO 27001 standard, an organisation can boost their information security, counter risks, and increase consumer confidence. Having a solid ISMS in place not only provides assurance to your clients as to how you manage risk, but it keeps confidential information secure and ensures that when the inevitable happens, you will be ready.

“91% of cyberattacks and the resulting data breach begin with a spear phishing email” – Source

ISO 27001 also addresses one of the biggest security concerns in the cybersphere today: phishing. It’s a massive source of malware attacks and one of the most popular and effective attacks employed by cybercriminals.

Click here to try Google’s phishing quiz to find out how good you are at detecting malicious emails, test your friends too! If you think your coworkers or employees might be susceptible to this type of attack, maybe it’s time to implement a training scheme to educate them about phishing and the very real threat it poses.

If you’re interested in trying a free online phishing course, why not try ours? Our Lorators and Digital Lorators services provide courses covering topics such as business, wellbeing, and IT – all free of charge. Click here to try our phishing course.

The cybersphere is a wild and chaotic place – keep your assets safe.

Sources:

[1] https://www.juniperresearch.com/press/press-releases/cybercrime-cost-businesses-over-2trillion

[2] https://www.idtheftcenter.org/2018-end-of-year-data-breach-report/

Ellis Fraser-Knight
Ellis Fraser-Knight
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