You’ve heard about cyberthreats. Can you spot the gaps?
The news is awash these days with stories of cyber threats and illegal hacks: from wormable flaws in software we use daily, spyware embedded in popular instant messaging platforms to data breaches of sensitive customer data. It is therefore not a surprise that cyber security is increasingly top of mind for businesses. In 2018, 40% of global CEOs surveyed by PwC ranked cyber threats as the number one concern that keeps them up at night; from fourth place the year before.
The real question is what businesses are doing to protect themselves. The cyber storm is not coming, it is here. PwC’s cyber team has helped respond to multiple client incidents over the past few months and it is clear that companies both big and small, and across all industries must act fast to build their defences at multiple levels.
If you are a business owner, IT manager or employee, ask yourself:
- Is your business data and information valuable?
- Is your IT system vulnerable to attack and what are the weak points?
- How can you prevent a data breach?
What we’ve observed is simple:
- A big gap in a company’s security is around employees. Hackers often get in through phishing emails and opened malware. All it takes is for one person to make a mistake.
- Hackers target their attacks on specific employees with a high level access and use advanced cyber weapons that may not be detected by traditional defence systems. This means that businesses need multiple lines of defence to deter attacks.
- Companies are aware of cyber risks but are often slow to act. Large and complex networks require constant monitoring, new technology and resources to fortify, resulting in organisational inertia.
Stay tuned for our next update on actions you can take to enhance your cyber security.
The Connected Shield Team
