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So here we are – at the beginning of 2020 almost every tweet, news report or email recently seems to be mentioning Cybersecurity. I’m probably largely responsible for this in my activity, but it’s only to make you think – to put it in your mind to be careful, don’t open this and to ask, “is your company geared up for a cyber-attack”?

Great, but what does it all truly mean? So here it is, a top-ten list of ‘Everything you wanted to know about Cyber Security but were afraid to ask’

1. There is a skills shortage in the Cyber Security industry.

Obviously, all businesses are using IT for daily tasks, however, a large percentage of companies lack true professionals to handle their security needs. This can be attributed to a shortage of Cyber Security Professionals, also the cost to a company for employing such a person.

2. IT cybersecurity intelligence is underutilised.

Information on current cybersecurity threats is available on numerous platforms to IT professionals. However, this information is not utilised in most businesses because technicians are not checking

3. Employee negligence can compromise network security.

The most noticeable and publicised cyber threats come from hackers and malicious software. However, employee negligence could contribute to the loss of data and security breaches. Staff knowledge and training should be taken in to account when setting up cybersecurity measures.

4. Downtime can cripple a business.

Cyber-attacks cause downtime in business. Your average company will take time to regroup and restore the systems. This downtime could be crippling as the time down would allow customers to shift their attention to your competitors.

5. Cyber Attacks cause loss of customer trust.

When hackers attack a company, the customers of that company tend to lose trust in them. This is particularly true for businesses in the financial sector. In some noted cases, even if the company recovers their information, recovering the trust of the customer can be more difficult.

6. Most companies know of but avoid using encryption.

Encryption is well-known, it is designed to prevent outsiders from viewing confidential data if they manage to access it. Unfortunately, most companies have not implemented it into their businesses due to a lack of proper understanding.

7. IoT will bring with it new security challenges.

The future of the business world is in the Internet of Things (IoT – it means taking all the things in the world and connecting them to the internet) this integration will improve efficiency, but great expertise will be required to handle these new threats.

8. Tablets and mobile phones can cause security breaches.

When I speak to people regarding cybersecurity this one always surprises people, they didn’t realise this. Naturally, more companies are using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to work out of the office. While this is convenient, a device without the right protective measures can be easily compromised through hacking, loss or theft.

9. Poor email security poses serious threats.

In my opinion, the main cause of poor company cybersecurity is email. Often, hackers will send phishing emails, which attempt to obtain confidential company information by installing malware into the network or redirecting to compromised domains.

10. Most cyber threats can, in fact, be prevented.

A quick google search will reveal numerous reports on businesses, which have been targeted by hackers and subsequently lost revenue. While these threats look sophisticated and complex to the inexperienced eye, a large percentage of them can be prevented by establishing the right security measures.28