Cyber threats are an evolving problem

By Paul Castle, director, The N3bular Project.

The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to take effect in May 2018 and will force companies to reshape the way data security is approached.

Where GDPR forces organisations to protect against loss, theft and unauthorised access to data, becoming cyber essentials certified can help and demonstrates that BASIC security procedures have been implemented.

The scheme is aimed at reducing the risk of prevalent but unskilled cyber-attacks, however the media is full of instances where ‘skilled hackers’ or ‘sophisticated techniques’ are used.

Basic protection is certainly better than no protection, unfortunately this can lead to a false sense of security, as an annual assessment may show protection for that moment in time and can quickly become out of date as ‘sophisticated’ attack methods change daily.

In 2016, it was reported that 52 per cent of British businesses were victims of cybercrime and the associated costs could run into tens or hundreds of thousands.

One method of keeping on top of cyber threats is to implement a system of continuous security monitoring which provides real-time visibility by constantly monitoring for cyber threats and misconfigurations.

In partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), N3bular offers SMEs cost-effective information security solutions with 24/7 monitoring capabilities at the heart of the operation. If you are serious about information security, for you and your clients, then get in touch to find out how N3bular and UCLan can help.