In today's fast-paced digital world, keeping your organisation's data safe is more crucial than ever. At Yopla, we're dedicated to helping you navigate the complex world of cyber security with ease. This guide breaks down the essentials of cyber security, why it's so important, and provides straightforward strategies and key programs like Zero Trust, Cyber Essentials, and Cyber Essentials Plus to boost your organisation's digital safety.
What is Cyber Security?
Think of cyber security as the digital equivalent of locking your doors and windows at home. It involves protecting your computers, networks, and data from unauthorised access or theft. This is not just about using technology but also about following smart practices to keep information safe.
Remember, people matter. The best doors and locks in the world won't help if you leave the door open.
Why Cyber Security Matters
In the digital age, information is more valuable than gold. Cyber-attacks can lead to stolen data, lost money, damaged reputations, and legal trouble. Good cyber security keeps your organisation's and customers' information safe, maintains your reputation, and ensures you comply with laws that protect personal data.
Insights from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
The average cost of a cyber breach for a small business can be upwards of £11,000.
Around 32% of businesses and 22% of charities in the UK have reported cyber security breaches or attacks in the last 12 months.
Common Cyber Threats
Phishing: This is when attackers trick you into giving them sensitive information, like passwords, through fake emails or messages.
Ransomware: Harmful software that locks you out of your files or systems until you pay a ransom.
Insider Threats: Sometimes, the risk comes from within your organisation, either by accident or on purpose.
Data Breaches: When private information is exposed or stolen, either through hacking or carelessness.
DDoS Attacks: These attacks flood your systems with so much traffic that they stop working.
Advanced Cyber Threats
Advanced cyber threats represent a sophisticated and continually evolving category of cyber risks. They pose significant challenges to organisational security through:
Polymorphic malware: Changes its code to avoid detection
Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Stealthily infiltrate networks to steal data over extended periods
Social engineering tactics: Includes spear phishing to target specific individuals with highly personalised and convincing lures
State-sponsored cyberattacks and ransomware campaigns: More targeted, exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities—previously unknown security flaws—for which no fix is yet available
Proactive Steps to Enhance Cyber Security
.1Regular Check-Ups: Just like a health check-up, regularly review your cyber security measures to find and fix weaknesses.
.2Teach Your Team: Make sure everyone knows the basics of cyber security and understands the importance of following best practices.
.3Encrypt Your Data: Use encryption to scramble data so that only authorised people can read it.
.4Control Access: Only give access to sensitive information to those who really need it.
.5Stay Up-to-Date: Always use the latest versions of software and apply security updates to protect against known threats.
What is Zero Trust?
You might have come across the term "Zero Trust" in discussions about cyber security. It's a principle that suggests not automatically trusting anyone, even those within your organisation. Imagine it as not allowing anyone to rummage through your personal belongings at home without verifying their identity first. Here's a breakdown of what Zero Trust entails:
Thoroughly Verifying Everyone's Identity: Much like asking for identification before letting someone through your front door, Zero Trust involves making sure we truly know who is attempting to access our computer systems. This helps keep out individuals who shouldn't be there.
Restricting Access: Not everyone needs access to every room in your house. Similarly, Zero Trust ensures that individuals can only access the information or parts of the network essential for their roles, nothing beyond that.
Constant Monitoring: Similar to having CCTV cameras, Zero Trust involves keeping a vigilant watch over activities within the network to spot any unusual or suspicious actions. If something seems amiss, it can be investigated promptly.
By adhering to these principles, Zero Trust significantly enhances the security of computer networks against hackers and various cyber threats.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry-supported scheme in the UK designed to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber threats. It sets out five basic security controls that, when implemented, can prevent around 80% of cyber attacks. These controls include secure configuration of systems, access control, malware protection, patch management, and secure internet connection. The scheme offers two levels of certification: Cyber Essentials, where organisations self-assess their compliance with the controls, and Cyber Essentials Plus, which involves an external audit and verification of the security controls in place. By achieving Cyber Essentials certification, organisations not only bolster their defences against prevalent cyber risks but also demonstrate to clients, investors, and partners their commitment to cyber security.
It focuses on:
Keeping your internet connection safe.
Making sure your devices and software are secure.
Controlling who has access to your data.
Protecting against viruses and other harmful software.
Keeping all your software up to date.
Getting Started with Cyber Essentials
Starting with Cyber Essentials is easy and can make your organisation much safer online. First, look at the main rules of Cyber Essentials and see how your current setup matches up. It's a good idea to work with a group that knows the ins and outs of getting certified. IASME is one of the top groups for this and has lots of helpful information on their website to get you ready. Just by going to the IASME website, you can find simple guides and a checklist to help you get started. Taking this step not only protects your business online but also shows everyone that you're serious about keeping data safe.
Going Further with Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus takes things a step further with a detailed check of your cyber security by an independent expert. It confirms that you're doing everything right according to the Cyber Essentials guidelines.
Top Tips for Stronger Cyber Security
We've put together a short list of top tips to help your team think more about online safety. These include using strong passwords, keeping all your software up to date, being careful with emails that look suspicious, having antivirus software on all devices, and regularly saving important data safely. These simple actions can make a big difference in keeping your organisation's information secure.
.1Use Strong Passwords: Make them long, unique, and complex.
.2Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): This adds an extra layer of security when logging in.
.3Back Up Your Data: Regularly save copies of important information in a secure location.
.4Be Cautious with Emails: Don't click on links or download attachments from unknown sources.
.5Use Secure Wi-Fi Networks: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for accessing sensitive information.
Strengthen Your Cyber Security with Yopla
Thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. We hope the insights and advice provided have been valuable in enhancing your understanding of cyber security, particularly the critical aspects of adopting a Zero Trust framework, understanding advanced cyber threats, and the importance of robust cyber security measures. Remember, safeguarding your digital environment is an ongoing process that requires diligence and adaptation to emerging threats.
If you have any further questions or need assistance in fortifying your cyber defences, please don't hesitate to reach out. Our team@yopla.co.uk is always here to support you in navigating the complexities of cyber security and ensuring your organisation's digital resilience.