If you were to tally up the financial costs of cyber crime, from the small-time scams to the major ransomware attacks, it's estimated that the value would place the criminal practice behind the US and China as the third largest economy in the world.
In a world of growing cyber threats and breaches, the stakes have never been higher for businesses. At the heart of it all, data, our most precious commodity, is constantly at risk of exposure, theft or compromise. Threat actors look to ransom, steal and exposure data every day, all you need to do is look at the headlines…
At Intercity we have a philosophy which we call 'Think Secure'. It's something that our colleagues put into practice every day, but it's also a mindset we try to share with our partners, customers and friends. Simply put, 'Think Secure' is all about awareness and vigilance; we encourage one another to be aware of the risks and the steps we can take collectively to mitigate them.
If the people in your business are wary of suspicious links, or aren't so quick to respond to unusual emails, or put those extra few characters in their passwords, that means your business is building what we call a 'human firewall', a crucial line of defence against cybercriminals.
Back in 2004, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology coined “Cybersecurity Awareness Month” as a yearly campaign to drive awareness across businesses and in education. Over the past two decades this has been adopted internationally, with organisations marking their calendars and getting the word out. In the UK, the NCSC, NHS and numerous other public bodies share information and helpful resources across October, as do many businesses in the private sector.
We also believe that information and resources should be readily available for you to educate and protect yourself, especially as the UK Gov. reported this year that an estimated 50% of businesses will experience some form of cyber incident this year.
So, to celebrate Cyber Awareness Month’s 20th birthday, and to say hello with our first official post on the Black Country Chambers of Commerce blog, here’s our cyber awareness pack, completely free!
We’ll send you a free digital copy of our Hacker’s Dictionary, survival guide, and much more, including resources for your IT teams and an exclusive interview with a business leader who experienced a ransomware attack up close.
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month, everyone!