Beefing-up business security never hurt anyone, so best start now.

 

The world is an unstable place. If you look at any aspect of nature there is constant change, and an ever-moving needle trying to point due-equilibrium. It’s the same with humanity, as stability is very hard to achieve in a global economy, let alone a global society. 

 

With the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we see once more how easy it is to poke holes in the thin sheet of stability that the developed world enjoys. The frankly horrible human situation and the emerging refugee crisis are obvious priorities for the international community to fix, and to try to prevent from happening in future. 

 

In the UK, most of us find ourselves removed from these events, with an unfortunate minority very personally involved, through family, friends or colleagues who have ties to Ukraine or Russia, making the pain of what is going on very real and present. It’s certainly struck close to home for us at Pearce IT, with some team members having very close ties to Ukraine. Recent events have left us all in shock; we’re doing what we can to support those affected, and we stand with Ukraine. 

 

The displacement of people isn’t the only disruption that stems from the crisis – fuel and energy prices, as well as food prices have been affected across Europe and the wider world. It’s important to consider these issues in perspective against the human tragedy involved, but the fact is that these issues do impact day-to-day routine in nations with fuel, energy, food, and other service and manufacturing needs affected by the current situation. 

 

Then, of course, there’s the issue of cybersecurity.  

 

Should I worry about foreign state cyberattacks? 

 

There’s a great deal of real fear surrounding the disruption of tech companies, banking, and service infrastructure across the globe by Russian state actors, and whereas this is not entirely unfounded, it’s important to consider the vulnerability of the UK national cyber infrastructure in a wider context. 

 

We have, currently, a relatively strong national cyber security and cyber warfare capability, with the armed forces and GCHQ working together to make sure that the country enjoys robust defence from nation states looking to harm areas of our society that require technology to function, and to protect national infrastructure from cyber attack. It would be reasonable to fear attacks in these areas during direct military action against the UK, but if there is no ongoing threat from a foreign power then it is reasonable to assume that our institutions would be able to defend us from normal levels of cyber-espionage. 

 

That leaves another, much more immediate threat that we need to guard against – cybercrime. 

 

How do cybercriminals take advantage of global disruption? 

 

International disruption is a call-to-action to cybercriminals everywhere. They know that elevated security on national infrastructure and a focus on foreign threats will allow them greater freedom of movement to concentrate on members of the public and businesses, and so cyber attacks by criminal groups on the general populace and the business community will be increasing right now.  

 

The current situation will be creating new opportunities for phishing, smishing, spoofing, and other message-borne threats to carry malware, ransomware, and harvest login or payment card information from unsuspecting users. Typical of these are emails and messages that look like they come from bona-fide senders, soliciting charity donations or assistance for people affected by the current crisis, but are in fact phishing for login or personal payment details. As many of these attacks are email-based, reliable email filtering and anti-spam software will be able to harden most networks and disallow cybercriminals access to the low-hanging fruit. Mail filtering packages such as SpamTitan Plus can make sure that no nasties are making it into your inbox, and that your team or family aren’t clicking on things that they shouldn’t be.  

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA or 2FA) is available on most online portals, email services, and websites, and if enabled means that there is an additional level of security in place that is very difficult to circumvent. By ensuring that MFA is enforced in your business or your personal email, you can remove most immediate cybersecurity dangers. Productivity packages and email platforms, such as Microsoft Office 365 use MFA to secure your logins and access to online data storage, and backup platforms such as Dropsuite can make sure that your emails and storage are backed up and proof against ransomware. 

 

That covers the threats directed at you purposefully, but what about the places that you visit online?  

 

How can I guard against visiting bad URLs? 

 

Surfing the internet has always been associated with issues around security, and although general website security has vastly improved in recent years, the web is still full of sites that carry malware, addresses that are insecure or redirect you to malware-heavy locations, or adware, spyware, and other privacy-based threats watching your online activity and harvesting your data. 

 

Installing a modern internet security package is the best way to ensure that you stay safe online, and cutting-edge software such as Bitdefender can help you to avoid dodgy sites and embedded malware with real-time site scanning, as well as maintaining a constant blacklist of known bad sites. Your payment details can be secured by fully encrypting all of your online card payments, so you can shop securely. 

 

How can I fully secure my network? 

 

With so many threats ranged against the average user, it’s essential to make sure that your cyber security toolkit is up to date and that you’re using everything you can to keep your network safe. If you need comprehensive cybersecurity advice and products, then please get in touch with Pearce IT today. We have powerful security tools on-hand to make sure you’re protected from the array of cyber threats out there, all at extremely competitive prices. We also offer unlimited IT support for as little as £10 per user per month, so you can rest easy knowing that you have a dedicated team of service professionals available to you, with no contracted time limits getting in the way of resolving your IT issues. Get in touch with us on 01453 222000 for a comprehensive security review and reliable advice.