Earlier this year, the heads of some of the UK’s biggest companies were asked to undertake an information security health check as part of a government crackdown on cybercrime. Despite the fact that only one in ten actually took part, this serves as an all-too-painful reminder of the risks of the modern age we live in.
The head of MI5, the director of GCHQ and minister for science, David Willets, wrote to all the FTSE 350 organisations, asking them to voluntarily undertake a two-stage security assessment to help build understanding of what businesses are doing right now to protect themselves. They also hoped, with this activity, to highlight potential cracks in the database security of the companies, in order that their customers and stakeholders data be better protected in future.
Even if you’re not one of the FTSE 350, your business should be aware of the risks of poor information security and the potential hazards it poses to your customers and your reputation if you do not have good strategies in place. Whether you’re a one-man operation or have a staff of thousands, you should be taking cyber security seriously and performing a regular health check on your standards.
What are the risks of poor cyber security?
There are three main areas that could be at risk of a cyber-attack, each of which are highly valuable both to you and cyber criminals.
- Money: fraudulent activity on your bank accounts and credit cards, outright theft, or charges being made illegitimately could cost you dearly.
- Systems and services: crippling your systems with a virus, malware or infiltrating systems through a hack can put you out of business for days on end.
- Valuable information: your database security needs to protect a wide variety of information, from customer details to accounts, personnel files to product development notes. Copying, losing or otherwise disclosing such information can have implications for your reputation and profitability and could breach the Data Protection Act.
A cyber-attack can take many forms, and the result could range from a mild annoyance to a complete disaster. No matter how big or small your business is, you can be sure that the cyber criminals will come poking around at some point, and when they do it is important you have robust security in place to discourage them from digging any deeper.
What can you do?
The NCC Group offers a great way to improve your cyber security, with the minimum of fuss and effort on your part. Their free 30-day trial includes the use of their industry-leading vulnerability scanners, which will quickly and efficiently highlight which areas of your database security could be improved upon.
The software they use is compatible with all types of databases and is capable of scanning any size of network for information security. The company even offers free consultation with one of their information security experts, making it easy for you to protect yourself, your business and your customers in the modern age.
