News
Commentary from Smoothwall on Government’s new cyber security initiative
March 2018 by Rob Wilkinson, Corporate Security Specialist at Smoothwall
Following the news today that the Government is proposing a new cyber security strategy to export its cyber expertise abroad, we have some expert commentary from Rob Wilkinson, Corporate Security Specialist at web security firm Smoothwall. He talks about the UK leading by example, but also trying to rebuild its cyber reputation following a difficult year in 2017:
“The Government’s new Cyber Security Export Strategy sends out a message in no uncertain terms that security is and will remain top of the agenda. With heightening tensions between foreign nations and an increasing risk of threat actors sabotaging businesses, governments, hospitals and schools, the UK has an opportunity to lead by example and grow an already burgeoning sector. But it smacks, too, of a country trying to rebuild its reputation following major breaches including WannaCry in the NHS, Petya and businesses like Wonga. A lot of work has to be done to keep organisations safe in this country as well as countries abroad.
“Cyber crime cost UK businesses £29billion in 2016 and is one of the biggest concerns affecting both small and large enterprises today. SMEs are particularly easy targets for hackers; they are often part of larger companies’ supply chains and so act as a direct route into those businesses with huge amounts of sensitive consumer and financial data that can be extracted. Whether a small or large business, healthcare institution or government, the advice is always the same: ensure that a layered defence is set up which spans encryption, firewalls, web filtering and ongoing threat monitoring. Papering over cracks is no longer an option for any business serious about protecting its data and staying ahead of the cyber curve. Businesses’ reputations, as well as the country’s, is at stake.”
