In today’s hyper-connected digital landscape, the rising tide of cyber threats poses a formidable challenge to organisations and individuals alike. Amidst the myriad cyber threats, Trojan Horse Technologies stand out as one of the most dangerous adversaries, employing deception and disguised malignancy to stealthily breach networks and disrupt cybersecurity measures. 

Pertinent research indicates that cybercrime’s global cost is projected to escalate to an astonishing $6 trillion annually by 2021, demanding the implementation of robust defensive measures to combat evolving threats like Trojan Horse attacks. 

This article ventures into a comprehensive exploration of the strategies available to organisations, empowering them to bolster their defences and adeptly counter the imminent menace posed by Trojan Horse Technologies…

Understanding Trojan Horse Technologies

Trojan Horse Technologies is a type of malicious software designed to deceive users by appearing as legitimate applications or files. Once inside a system, these stealthy threats open a hidden pathway for cybercriminals to gain unauthorised access, steal sensitive data, or deploy additional malware. 

Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not self-replicate but rely on social engineering tactics to trick users into executing them. They can assume various forms, such as email attachments, software downloads, or even fake security updates.

Real-World Examples of Cyberattacks Using Trojan Horse Technologies

1. Zeus Trojan

One of the most infamous Trojans, Zeus, was responsible for numerous banking and financial sector attacks. It infected computers via phishing emails or malicious downloads, allowing hackers to steal login credentials and drain bank accounts. 

2. Emotet

Initially a banking Trojan, Emotet evolved into a sophisticated malware distribution network known for delivering other dangerous payloads, like ransomware and credential stealers. It has caused extensive damage to both the public and private sectors worldwide. 

Potential Impact on Organisations and Individuals

Trojan Horse Technologies pose significant risks to organisations and individuals alike, leading to devastating consequences:

1. Data Breaches 

Once infiltrated, Trojans can exfiltrate sensitive information, including financial data, customer records, and intellectual property. A single data breach can result in reputational damage and legal liabilities. In 2020, the average cost of a data breach was $3.86 million.

2. Financial Losses

Cybercriminals exploit Trojans to steal funds directly from individuals’ or organisations’ bank accounts. In 2021, cybercrime costs to the global economy reached $6 trillion, demonstrating the escalating financial impact.

3. Disruption of Operations

Trojan attacks can disrupt critical systems and lead to significant downtime. For instance, the NotPetya Trojan caused over $10 billion in damages to businesses worldwide in 2017.

4. Identity Theft

Personal information stolen by Trojans can be used to perpetrate identity theft, leading to financial ruin and emotional distress for victims. 

Challenges to Cybersecurity Ecosystem

1. Rapidly Evolving Cyber Threats and Techniques

The realm of cybersecurity is ever-changing, with the emergence of new cyber threats and evolving attack techniques occurring at a concerning speed. Malicious actors are continuously honing their tactics to outmanoeuvre conventional security protocols.

For instance, the use of file-less malware, which resides in memory and leaves no trace on disk, rose by 888% in 2020 over 2019. Additionally, the proliferation of zero-day vulnerabilities provides attackers with potent weapons to exploit before patches are available.

2. The Complexity of Modern IT Infrastructure

As organisations embrace digital transformation, their IT infrastructures become increasingly complex. Hybrid cloud environments, interconnected devices, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies create a sprawling attack surface.

Each new technology and application introduces potential vulnerabilities, challenging cybersecurity teams to maintain visibility and control across the entire ecosystem.

3. Human Factors: Insider Threats and Social Engineering

Human error remains a significant Achilles’ heel in cybersecurity. Insider threats, whether unintentional or malicious, can lead to devastating data breaches. For example, an employee mistakenly clicking on a phishing link can grant attackers access to sensitive data. 

Social engineering, another human-centric risk, manipulates individuals into divulging confidential information. 85% of data breaches are caused by human error.

4. Lack of Cybersecurity Awareness and Training

Many fall victim to scams due to a lack of knowledge about common threats. Moreover, organisations face challenges in maintaining their workforce’s awareness of current security protocols. 

An extensive study revealed that the vast majority, 95%, of cybersecurity incidents stem from human errors, underscoring the necessity for all-encompassing training and awareness initiatives.

Building Resilience in the Cybersecurity Ecosystem

The following strategies aim to mitigate the security risks posed by Trojan Horse Technologies.

1. Collaborative Approach: Public-Private Partnerships and Information Sharing

The alliance of governments, law enforcement agencies, and cybersecurity firms facilitates the exchange of vital threat intelligence and best practices, along with seamless coordination in responses. 

A prominent instance of such collaboration is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the United States, which teams up with private enterprises to distribute alerts and advisories on emerging threats, significantly elevating the state of cybersecurity preparedness.

2. Proactive Threat Intelligence and Monitoring

Cybersecurity teams must adopt a proactive stance by leveraging advanced threat intelligence platforms to identify potential risks before they materialise into full-scale attacks. By continuously monitoring network activity, anomalies can be detected early, preventing cyber breaches. 

Security Operations Centres (SOCs) employ real-time monitoring and analysis of events to swiftly respond to suspicious activities. 

3. Strengthening Endpoint Security

Endpoints are a prime target for cyberattacks. Ensuring the protection of devices such as laptops, smartphones, and IoT devices is imperative in safeguarding against breaches and fostering a robust cybersecurity environment. 

Cutting-edge endpoint security solutions, including advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools and next-generation antivirus software, play a pivotal role in promptly identifying and neutralising real-time threats. In 2020, 68% of organisations reported that they had experienced an endpoint attack.

4. Implementing Zero Trust Architecture

The Zero Trust model assumes that no user or device should be inherently trusted, even within the organisation’s network. Instead, each access request is verified based on various factors, such as user identity, device health, and behaviour.

Implementing Zero Trust architecture helps limit the lateral movement of attackers within the network. 

5. Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Management

Regularly identifying and patching software vulnerabilities is a critical aspect of cybersecurity resilience. Automated vulnerability assessment tools scan networks and systems to detect weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers. 

By promptly applying security patches, organisations close potential entry points for cyber threats. 

Conclusion

In an era marked by the persistent menace of Trojan Horse Technologies and ever-evolving cyber threats, building a resilient cybersecurity ecosystem has become an urgent imperative. The examples of infamous Trojans and the staggering statistics of cybercrime costs underscore the real-world consequences of inadequate defences. 

By fostering collaborative efforts through public-private partnerships, sharing critical threat intelligence, and prioritising proactive monitoring, organisations can bolster their cyber defences and respond swiftly to emerging threats.

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In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, offshore software development has emerged as a prevalent strategy for businesses seeking cost-effective solutions and access to a global talent pool. 

However, amidst the many advantages, this approach presents its fair share of security risks, making it imperative for organisations to address and mitigate potential vulnerabilities. As businesses increasingly outsource critical software development tasks to offshore partners, they expose themselves to potential data breaches, intellectual property theft, and communication challenges. 

This article aims to explore the various security risks associated with offshore software development and provide valuable insights and best practices for effectively managing and mitigating these risks. 

Understanding Offshore Software Development

Offshore software development pertains to the practice of delegating software development duties and undertakings to external firms or teams situated in foreign nations. This strategy empowers enterprises to access a varied reservoir of proficient experts, frequently at a reduced expense in contrast to recruiting domestic personnel.

Offshore development teams collaborate remotely, leveraging modern communication technologies to bridge geographical gaps. The concept has gained traction over the years due to its potential to accelerate project timelines and enhance cost efficiency.

Common Security Risks in Offshore Software Development

1. Data Breaches and Information Leakage

When sensitive data is transmitted across borders or handled by external teams, there is a heightened potential for unauthorised access. For instance, a healthcare organisation outsourcing the development of a patient management system may face data breach risks if the offshore team does not implement robust security measures. 

According to the 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report by IBM, the average cost of a data breach reached $4.24 million, highlighting the severity of such incidents.

2. Intellectual Property Theft

Offshore collaborations may expose businesses to the risk of intellectual property theft. Without proper safeguards and legal protection, companies might find their proprietary software ideas or code copied or used without authorisation. 

For example, a tech startup outsourcing the development of a groundbreaking app could face the risk of its unique algorithms being stolen. As per a study conducted by the United States Intellectual Property Commission, the financial repercussions of IP theft on U.S. businesses amount to hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

3. Malicious Code and Vulnerabilities

Offshore development involves sharing code and relying on external teams to write secure software. However, this also opens the door to the potential introduction of malicious code or vulnerabilities.

A financial institution outsourcing a banking application development project might unknowingly receive software with hidden backdoors. The 2020 OWASP Top 10 report highlighted that 50% of applications tested had vulnerabilities, demonstrating the prevalence of such risks.

4. Communication and Cultural Barriers

Effective communication is vital in software development, but offshore collaborations can be hindered by language barriers, time zone differences, and cultural misunderstandings. 

Miscommunication may lead to inaccurate requirements or misinterpreted project details, affecting the overall quality of the software. For instance, a European company outsourcing to a team in Asia may experience delays due to misaligned working hours.

5. Compliance and Legal Concerns

Offshore software development may involve navigating complex international legal and regulatory landscapes. Neglecting adherence to data protection laws or regulations particular to an industry may result in severe penalties and legal consequences. 

For instance, if a financial institution outsources software development without ensuring GDPR compliance, it could encounter substantial fines and harm to its reputation.

Best Practices for Managing Security Risks

Comprehensive Vendor Evaluation

1. Reputation and Track Record

Thoroughly research and evaluate the offshore software development vendor’s reputation and track record. Check client reviews and testimonials to gauge their reliability and past performance. For example, a financial institution looking to outsource a mobile banking app project may choose a vendor with a strong track record of delivering secure and compliant solutions.

2. Security Protocols and Certifications

Ensure the vendor follows robust security protocols and holds relevant certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2) that demonstrate their commitment to data protection and information security. A healthcare company outsourcing patient data management software development might prioritise vendors with HIPAA compliance.

3. Compliance with Data Protection Laws

Verify that the vendor adheres to international data protection laws and regulations, particularly if sensitive customer data is involved. A global e-commerce firm outsourcing its website development may prioritise vendors compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Robust Contractual Agreements

1. Clear Definitions of Responsibilities

Establish clear and detailed contractual agreements that define each party’s responsibilities regarding security measures and risk management. 

This ensures that all stakeholders understand their roles and obligations. For instance, an educational institution outsourcing a learning management system should have a contract specifying data security responsibilities.

2. Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Enforce robust non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as a protective measure for safeguarding intellectual property and proprietary data. This is critical when sharing sensitive business insights or innovative ideas. 

3. Intellectual Property Protection

Include clauses in the contract that clearly outline the ownership and protection of intellectual property rights. This protects the business from potential theft or unauthorised use of valuable software assets. For example, a gaming company outsourcing game development should ensure the ownership of the game’s code and design remains with them.

Secure Development Practices

1. Secure Coding Standards

Emphasise the use of secure coding standards and best practices during the development process to harden software development environments. This helps reduce the risk of introducing vulnerabilities in the software. For example, an e-commerce platform outsourcing a payment gateway integration should ensure secure coding practices are followed to protect financial transactions.

2. Code Reviews and Testing

Enforce regular code reviews and security testing throughout the development lifecycle. This allows for early identification and remediation of potential security flaws. A cybersecurity firm outsourcing a threat intelligence tool should conduct comprehensive code reviews to ensure the tool’s efficacy.

3. Use of Encryption and Secure Protocols

Mandate the use of encryption and secure communication protocols when handling sensitive data or transmitting information. For instance, a government agency outsourcing a secure messaging system should insist on end-to-end encryption for data privacy.

Communication Strategies

1. Establishing Secure Communication Channels

Set up secure communication channels, such as encrypted emails or virtual private networks (VPNs), to protect sensitive information during interactions with the offshore team. A financial institution outsourcing IT support should use encrypted channels for communication to safeguard customer data.

2. Regular Meetings and Updates

Schedule regular meetings and status updates to ensure constant communication and collaboration between the onshore and offshore teams. This helps address security concerns promptly. An insurance company outsourcing claims processing should have weekly meetings to monitor progress and address security issues.

3. Addressing Cultural and Language Differences:

Be mindful of cultural and language barriers that may impact communication. Promote a collaborative and inclusive environment to foster effective teamwork. An international travel agency outsourcing a website redesign should bridge cultural gaps to ensure smooth collaboration.

Continuous Monitoring and Auditing

1. Real-time Security Monitoring

Implement real-time security monitoring to detect and respond to potential security incidents promptly. This proactive approach can prevent significant data breaches. An e-commerce marketplace outsourcing its payment processing should employ real-time monitoring to detect suspicious activities.

2. Periodic Vulnerability Assessments

Conduct periodic vulnerability assessments and penetration tests to identify and address any weaknesses in the software. This helps maintain a strong security posture.

3. Onsite Audits (if possible)

If feasible, conduct onsite audits or inspections of the offshore development facilities to assess their security infrastructure and practices. An aerospace manufacturer outsourcing a flight simulation software project may opt for an onsite audit to ensure compliance with stringent security standards.

Conclusion 

Offshore software development offers undeniable benefits, allowing businesses to access a vast pool of global talent, accelerate project timelines, and achieve cost efficiency. However, this approach comes with its fair share of security risks that demand careful management and mitigation. 

To safeguard sensitive data, intellectual property, and overall project integrity, companies must adopt best practices throughout the outsourcing process. By prioritising security in offshore software development, businesses can harness the advantages of global collaboration while safeguarding their reputation, customer trust, and future growth prospects.

Cybersecurity Threats in the Banking Industry: Protecting Retail Banks from Digital Risks

The banking industry faces some of the strictest regulations globally. This industry plays a critical role in providing essential financial services to millions of people around the globe. As such, it is highly vulnerable to all types of threats, be it physical or digital. And as technology evolves, the banking industry becomes more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This is because of its extensive reliance on technology-based data storage systems. 

There are several cybersecurity threats that banks must be aware of to protect their client’s funds, assets, and information. These threats include viruses and malware, phishing attacks, and social engineering scams, among others. Malicious individuals or organisations pose these threats as they seek to exploit weaknesses in banks’ systems. 

For banks to protect their clients and assets, they must remain vigilant against these digital risks and keep themselves updated on different scam attempts to watch out for. This article will discuss some of the most common cybersecurity threats in the banking industry and provide tips on how to protect retail banks from these digital risks. 

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1. Phishing Attacks

The first threat that banks should be aware of is phishing attacks. This type of attack involves sending emails or other electronic messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank. But these attacks are attempting to gain access to sensitive information. These messages may contain malicious links or attachments that can download malware onto a user’s computer, allowing attackers to gain access to their system and data. 

For example, you may receive a message from an unknown sender claiming to be your bank. The message usually asks for personal information such as account details, login IDs, or passwords. Clients who are unaware may end up providing the information, instantly giving the attackers access to their accounts. 

Thus, banks should ensure that they have an effective system in place to identify and block phishing emails before they reach their clients’ inboxes. They must remain vigilant in ensuring that all client-facing emails are sent from legitimate sources, and use email security features such as DMARC so clients can be confident of the email source. Clients can also be educated - such as knowing to verify the sender’s email address before opening any attachments or clicking on any links. Plus, banks should also provide employees with training to recognise the signs of a phishing attack themselves and how to best respond in these situations. 

2. Malware and Viruses

Malware is malicious software that can be used by hackers to gain access to banking systems and data. This includes viruses, Trojans, worm-based attacks, rootkits, spyware, and ransomware. These malicious programs are designed to damage, disrupt, or take control of a computer system without the user’s knowledge. 

The best way for banks to protect themselves from these types of attacks is by implementing robust security measures, far and beyond the corporate norm of firewalls, antivirus software, and strong password policies. Banks should also ensure that their employees are well-trained in cybersecurity best practices, such as never clicking on suspicious links or attachments. 

3. Social Engineering Scams

Social engineering scams involve manipulating people into providing personal information or access to bank accounts. Common methods include sending phishing emails, text messages, and phone calls. Attackers can also use these techniques to try and convince people to transfer funds or install malicious software on their computers. 

Banks should ensure that they have adequate security measures in place to combat social engineering scams. They can mandate clients to use security features such as user authentication protocols and two-factor authentication. Additionally, banks should educate their clients about the different types of scams out there! When the clients are aware of what they may face and how to spot them, this adds another layer of protection for their savings. 

4. Supply Chain Vulnerability

Banks should also be aware of the risks posed by supply chain vulnerabilities. Supply chain attacks involve compromising third-party vendors or suppliers to gain access to sensitive banking data. Attackers may exploit these vulnerabilities to gain access to client information, financial records, and other confidential information. 

Banks should ensure that they thoroughly vet their vendors and suppliers before entering into a partnership with them, and permit the bank to audit their suppliers - to ensure for example that their vendors are using up-to-date security measures and data encryption protocols to protect client data. 

5. Cloud-based Data Security

Finally, banks should be aware of the risks posed by cloud-based data security. Cloud storage and computing are becoming increasingly popular in the banking industry (particularly in the US where there are hundreds of smaller banks instead of the large leaders that are seen in Europe) but this also opens up new opportunities for cyber-attacks. Banks must ensure that they have robust security measures in place to protect data stored on the cloud platform as they are rich targets and attackers will target the easier targets present in the US than those larger banks found in Europe.

Regardless of geography, this becomes more acute and important for those banks that employ remote workers. Having remote access makes it easier for hackers to gain access to confidential data. So, banks must install security measures, including encrypting all data stored on the cloud and enforcing strict access controls. They must also make sure to scan for vulnerabilities regularly both at the edge and on remote machines.

Final Word

The banking industry is constantly evolving. With the technology available today, banks must remain vigilant against the different types of digital risks! These risks can threaten their clients’ funds and data, losing trust between clients and banks. 

The end goal should always be to protect clients’ funds, assets, and information from any digital risk that banks may encounter. Following the steps outlined in this article will help ensure that savings banks are secure and protected. At the same time, staying up to date with the latest security measures and threats in the banking industry is important. With the proper protection in place, banks can continue to provide essential financial services with confidence!

Over the past few years, we’ve been hearing more and more about crypto in emerging markets, digital money, blockchain technology, and other financial terms that have filled our digital platforms—from the articles we read to our social media feeds. While most people tend to associate blockchain with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, the potential use of this innovation goes far beyond that. 

One area where blockchain has the potential to revolutionise the way things work is cybersecurity. 

Below, let’s explore how blockchain technology works and the potential impact it could have on the future of cybersecurity. 

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/T9rKvI3N0NM

What Is Blockchain Technology? 

There’s a good reason why the demand for blockchain engineers keeps going up and why more and more people are getting into the cryptocurrency scene. 

At its core, blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that enables secure and transparent transactions without the need for intermediaries. In a blockchain network, each participant has a copy of the ledger, which contains a record of all transactions that have ever occurred on the network. These transactions are verified by network participants, and once verified, they are added to the ledger and become a permanent part of the chain. 

One of the key features of blockchain is its decentralised nature. Unlike traditional centralised systems, where data is stored on a single server, blockchain data is distributed across the network. What this means is that there is no single point of failure, and data cannot be easily hacked or corrupted. Plus, because each participant in the network has a copy of the ledger, it’s very difficult to manipulate the data without being detected by other network participants. 

How Can Blockchain Technology Impact Cybersecurity?

Now that we have a broader understanding of blockchain technology, let’s explore some of the potential ways in which it could impact the future of cybersecurity: 

1. Improved Data Integrity 

One of the most important benefits of blockchain technology is its ability to provide immutable data integrity. In a blockchain network, once a transaction is verified and added to the ledger, nobody can alter or delete it. This just means that data stored on the blockchain is much more secure than data stored on a traditional centralised system, as it can’t be easily tampered with or manipulated. 

This has significant implications for cybersecurity. For example, blockchain technology could be used to create a secure system for storing sensitive data such as medical records, financial data, and personal information. When you store all of this important info on a blockchain network, cybercriminals will have a more difficult time gaining access and manipulating it.

2. Decentralised Security 

In traditional centralised systems, security is typically provided by a single entity, such as a company or a government agency. If this entity is breached, all the data stored on its servers could be compromised. 

With blockchain technology, security is provided by the network as a whole. Each participant in the network is responsible for verifying transactions and ensuring that the data on the ledger is accurate. This means that even if one participant is compromised, the rest of the network can still function normally, and the data stored on the network remains secure. 

3. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a common form of cyberattack in which an attacker attempts to overwhelm a website or network with a flood or traffic. These attacks can be difficult to defend against because they often come from multiple sources and are designed to overwhelm the targeted system. 

One potential solution to this is to use blockchain technology to create a decentralised network for handling website traffic. By distributing website traffic across a network of servers, it becomes much more difficult for attackers to overwhelm any one server. Plus, because the network is decentralised, there is no single point of failure, making it much more resilient to DDoS attacks. 

4. IoT Security 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently making a lot of noise. Over the past few years, hackers have increasingly targeted AI-integrated edge devices, such as thermostats and routers, to gain access to larger systems, such as home automation. These edge devices often have inadequate security features, making them vulnerable to attacks. 

Blockchain technology can provide a solution by decentralising the administration of these devices, enabling them to make security decisions autonomously without relying on a central authority. This approach improves security by allowing edge devices to detect and respond to suspicious commands from unknown networks, making it more difficult for hackers to gain control of devices and systems. 

By eliminating the central administration of devices, blockchain technology makes it harder for hackers to launch attacks and take control of systems. 

5. Ensuring Human Safety 

Advancements in technology have allowed for the development of unmanned military equipment and automated public transportation. The internet has made it possible for sensors and databases to exchange data, enabling remote control of weapons and vehicles. 

Cybercriminals have been targeting networks like the Controller Area Networks (CAN or CANBUS) used in vehicles, giving them complete control over critical automotive functions and posing a threat to human safety.

To address this, the use of blockchain technology for data verification could help prevent such breaches. By implementing blockchain-based data verification on all information entering and leaving such systems, potential threats to human safety can be mitigated. 

6. Secure Private Messaging 

While many messaging systems are already using end-to-end encryption, some are also beginning to explore blockchain technology to safeguard data. The development of secure blockchain messaging ecosystems aims to address data protection concerns and establish a standardised communication system. Using blockchain is beneficial for this purpose as it encrypts all data transactions and facilitates communication across multiple messaging services. 

Blockchain Technology Is The Future Of Cybersecurity 

As technology evolves, so will the cyberattacks individuals and businesses experience. As it stands, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach cybersecurity by enhancing the security of contracts, money, and assets. 

While blockchain technology is still in its infancy, it’s clear that it has the power to make a significant impact on the future of cybersecurity.

For more insightful articles about cybersecurity, check out Attomus’ Blog today!

AI vs Web Developers - Collaborative Innovation or Competing Forces in the Future of Web Development?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to the forefront in various sectors, revolutionising how we approach tasks, innovate, and problem-solve. With AI’s limitless possibilities, it’s unsurprising that web development has also felt its influence. However, the question remains: 

Does the rise of AI mark an impending rivalry between AI and web developers, or does it pave the way for a more collaborative future in web development?

This article analyses the dynamics between AI and web developers, and whether they will compete or collaborate in the future of web development.

AI in Web Development

AI has brought about a paradigm shift in many areas, web development being no exception. Its ability to learn, adapt, and predict has transformed the way websites are designed and maintained. For instance, AI can efficiently manage repetitive tasks, predict user behaviour to enhance UX/UI, and even debug code. This efficiency has led some to predict that AI might eventually replace web developers.

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However, this is a huge misconception. While AI’s limitless possibilities can automate tasks and improve efficiencies, it cannot replace human creativity, intuition, and problem-solving. AI excels at pattern recognition and analysis, but web development is not solely about patterns. It’s about understanding user needs, creating an engaging user experience, and constantly innovating. This is where the human touch of web developers is irreplaceable.

The Cooperative Nature of AI and Developers

Instead of viewing AI as a competitor, we should perceive it as a tool for empowering developers. AI’s ability to handle mundane tasks allows web developers to concentrate on the more creative aspects of web design and development. This scenario paints a picture of cooperation, not competition.

AI: A Powerful Tool for Responsive Web Designs

AI equips developers with potent tools to create more interactive and responsive web designs. Through machine learning algorithms, AI can analyse a vast amount of data to provide insights into user behaviour. These insights are then used to tailor website designs to specific user preferences, improving user engagement and satisfaction.

Machine Learning Algorithms: Enhancing User Experience

A practical instance of AI’s potential lies in the utilisation of machine learning algorithms to analyse user behaviour on a website. The ability to identify patterns and trends, and provide feedback to developers, allows for refinement in user interfaces and an improved overall user experience.

Building Sophisticated Applications with AI

In the realm of web and enterprise applications, AI enables developers to build more sophisticated platforms. With AI, developers can create applications that are more personalised, intuitive, and efficient. Offering real-time insights, predictive analytics, and automation, AI can drastically improve the performance and functionality of these applications.

AI and Acquisition Due Diligence

In business scenarios, AI plays a pivotal role in accelerating the process of acquisition due diligence. By automating data collection and analysis, AI can identify potential risks and benefits, enabling companies to make more informed decisions.

The Future of Web Development

The evolving landscape of web development is poised to be shaped by a synergistic relationship between AI and developers, rather than a competitive standoff. By merging the efficiency and precision of AI with the creative ingenuity and problem-solving prowess of developers, we stand on the brink of a new era of innovation in web development. This is a future defined not by replacement but by enhancement and collaboration.

The New Role of Developers

In this envisioned future, the role of developers extends beyond the traditional realm of writing code. They will also be tasked with training AI models, fine-tuning their outputs, and finding innovative ways to embed them into websites and applications. This expanded role ensures that developers maintain their place as vital cogs in the web development wheel. Their understanding of nuanced human needs, cultural sensitivities, and creative problem-solving will be key to guiding and shaping the application of AI in this field.

AI as a Learning Collaborator

Meanwhile, AI will continue to evolve and adapt, learning from developers and other sources. As AI algorithms are fed more data and given more tasks, they will become more nuanced and sophisticated in their functions. AI will become an increasingly valuable collaborator, providing real-time insights and predictive analysis, all while continuously refining its operations based on developer feedback and changing user behaviour patterns.

Creating a Seamless User Experience

The fusion of AI and developer capabilities will not only expedite the web development process but also create a more seamless user experience. The predictive capabilities of AI, coupled with the creative solutions offered by developers, can lead to websites and applications that anticipate user needs and preferences, providing a personalised and intuitive user experience.

Balancing Creativity and Efficiency

The collaboration between AI and developers will strike a balance between creativity and efficiency. AI’s ability to automate and speed up the process will give developers the freedom to focus on design and user experience. Conversely, developers’ input will ensure that AI’s efficiency doesn’t compromise creativity and the human touch.

Conclusion

AI and web developers are not competitors but allies in the evolving landscape of web development. AI is not a threat but a catalyst for empowering developers, enhancing their creativity, and driving innovation in web and enterprise applications. The future of web development lies not in choosing between AI and developers, but in blending their capabilities in a collaborative approach that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.

Secure Your Company’s Future with Attomus

At ATTOMUS, we believe in the power of collaboration between AI and human expertise. We offer advanced technology services, including AI integration and optimisation, to businesses and government entities. We also provide security services and management consultancy, helping you navigate the complexities of acquisition due diligence and more. 

Embrace the future of web development with us, and let’s unlock the full potential of AI and human creativity together. Contact ATTOMUS today!

We are often asked what the Attomus architecture looks like and how internally we approach development and client work and what tools we use.

Clearly as partners of Netlify, Jetbrains, XCP-ng and Atlassian we tend towards using their products and services as the basis of our infrastructure, “eat your own dogfood” being the internal mantra, but there’s value in explaining the reasoning and how we utliise each to combine into the enterprise landscape that we operate.

Websites

So starting with what is visible to you, the user, we host our static sites which include this site, attomus.com, and the marketing sites for our products such as semafore.io, on Netlify using the JamStack architectural approach, building from repos that are hosted on our internal BitBucket server. This allows anyone to publish changes to a branch for internal review (including external stakeholders) before public release, but in a very easy and well controlled pipeline. Very little human interaction is required, and all public releases automatically compress images, pick up Netlify forms, minify javascript and css and run a LightHouse audit as part of the build. Each time there’s a public release the results of these tests are automatically sent to the build team via a dedicated Slack channel. The main benefits of this approach are the seperation from our own servers in the event of an attack targetting our public interface, and secondly the very much reduced attack service that using static sites gives us.

Support / Ticketing

Like all technology companies we operate a public support site that runs under Jira Service Desk (installed behind our firewall rather than in the cloud) accessible at support.attomus.com, which also monitors emails sent to our support mailbox. This allows customers to interact through whichever means is preferable for them, and then receive updates through the same mechanism. In the same way all the contact forms from our websites get captured as tickets so that the team have a single repository to manage inbound information and customer communications.

Development

Looking at our development processes, both for clients and our own products such as Semafore, we use a combination of Jetbrains’ Space and Jira Software. Space, using the new behind firewall version (currently in Beta), is used where for security reasons we need physical separation from our other projects - and provides us with code repositories, development commentary and issue tracking, whilst the majority of non-security related work takes place using Bitbucket as the code repository, Jira Software for tracking and commentary, and Confluence for documentation and as an internal knowledge base.

Incident Management & Status updating

As an Atlassian partner, we did try and make use of OpsGenie to manage incidents and alerting for a period, but as a relatively small enterprise we found that it was overkill for our needs and so dogfooding was outweighed by the need to use something proportional and appropriate to our needs. So instead we run an in-house monitoring solution that alerts the product owner of any degraded infrastructure via Slack, including status errors or if there is a trend that would cause low memory, disk space or similar within a set period, and then the owner manually assigns the resolution task to the relevant expert. In client implementations where there is less overlap of expertise and multi-skilling we normally look to implement a more highly automated solution, but for our purposes a more manual approach is more appropriate and suits us well.

This addresses the internal resolution of infrastructure incidents, but we still need to inform you the user when some infrastructure is either giving cause for concern (therefore a risk to live service) or for planned maintenance, and for this we use StatusPage. which all users internal and external can monitor or subscribe to at status.attomus.com. This in turn links to our internal management system so that we can track effort and effectively have tickets raised automatically in the event of long-running issues or to trigger the team before a planned maintenance event.

Development Tooling

As a company our standard development tools are based upon the JetBrains products set - be it specialist tools such as GoLand or DataGrip, or IDEA Ultimate for our generalists. Since most of the development team are experienced hires rather than starting afresh, they are permitted to use whatever tools they wish that do the job, providing if they stray from the JetBrains tools they support themselves, and so as a company we have developers using tools from Visual Studio to Xcode to Atom and bbEdit.

Then looking to the DevOps side, including build, we use JetBrain’s TeamCity as a build server, with access very strictly controlled and the machine and agents not accessible from the internet. This is a very important point that we come across time and again on client sites - connecting a build server that can have a number of build artefacts and even access across the client-side infrastructure to the internet - which makes a very large threat surface available with potentially very high-rewards for an attacker - the worst of both worlds. Build servers should never be publicly visible.

Server tooling

In general we run most of our products and tools on Debian servers on top of XCP-ng, this gives us the flexibility to dynamically assign memory and CPU to match demand without wasting resources on lots of excess hardware, and also without the overhead or costs of running systems in the cloud. Having said that most of our products are designed to be able to burst out to the cloud, particularly those that are built on top of Kubernetes, but for the majority of our Use Cases we have a need to run behind our firewall, be it for data sovereignty reasons or for security. By standardising our server farms to the XCP-ng / Debian stack, issues are much quicker to address since the institutional knowledge is so much deeper and despite bouncing between servers the engineer has a standard install to work from. Similarly, security updates are much simpler to manage and cascade when the entire company operates under a single server OS, making patch management and server management much easier - which means fewer mistakes and less friction when conducting scheduled maintenance.

The future

In time we will look we probably look to make more use of Space as it leaves Beta ; it is much lighter weight than Jira / Bitbucket which makes it more performant at our scale, but we won’t make that move until we have a suitable ticketing solution in place to sit alongside it. Similarly as we look to architect more client products under the JamStack paradigm (due in no small part to its considerably lower attack surface) we will move installations away from our datacentres and into Netlify. This is still some time in the future; from its start with static website without any ability to run server-side functions or host databases, the technology has moved forwards in leaps and bounds, but is not yet mature enough to cover the breadth of our needs. It won’t be long though.

I worked with Attomus remotely over a period of three weeks and completed two main tasks for the company both relating to the new app Semafore. Semafore is a highly secure communications service, targeted for the use of enterprises and government agencies who need more security than your average company.

One task, which I completed by myself, was to update the Semafore website to make it look sleeker and more dynamic by changing the images on the front page of the website. The other task, which I worked to complete with my friend, was to interview professionals from around the world about Semafore. We then used the feedback we received to write up several Use Cases on how different professions could benefit from using Semafore. To help with this, I got my first company email as well as access to the Attomus Jira management page where I saw the concept of a to-do list in a working environment. I was given tasks and communicated with a Senior Member of Staff who helped me complete my assignments for the company. This was all very new and exciting to me as this was my first experience in the corporate world, and even something as simple as getting a new email felt like a big deal to me.

For my first task, I had to get to grips with new apps and websites, some of which I had not even heard of before such as Jira, GitHub, Visual Code Studio, Hugo, and the Command Prompt. This proved to be initially challenging and resulted in a moderate amount of googling, trial and error and asking for help but once I understood the basics, it became easier and more logical. Firstly, I had to find two high quality images that would fit on the website, which also proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. I didn’t expect finding images to be so challenging as I thought there must be millions on the internet but once you narrow the search down to a specific topic, your options become more limited.

Once I found some images that I thought were a good fit for the website, I sent them to the Senior Member of Staff to see which two he would choose. However, I did not expect him to ask me to decide. I then realised that the front page of the website was completely in my hands and felt a sense of pressure to make a good choice. In hindsight, I thank him for that as it was nice to see the images that I found, and I chose to be on the website. I then used Visual Code Studio to change the code for the website, which I downloaded from GitHub, and ran the code using Hugo from the Windows Command Prompt. When it didn’t work the first time, I realised something had gone wrong and that the code needed to be debugged. When the Senior Member of Staff said the code looked good, he then concluded that I was using a different version of Hugo than what the website’s code had been written on. I downloaded the correct version, the problem was fixed, and I had a working local model of the website. I felt a great sense of achievement seeing the final version as I realised that whenever I go to the Semafore website, I can say that I contributed to the design of it and coded a small bit of the website myself.

For my second task, my friend and I were working to inform and interview professionals in different fields about Semafore. The challenge here was to find a suitable time for all parties as we interviewed people in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia. This resulted in some early morning and late evening interviews to find an appropriate time for everyone. We wrote down some questions to ask our interviewees and created a PowerPoint to display them. After all the interviews were complete, and we got the feedback we needed, my friend and I wrote up the information into Use Cases for each profession and sent them to the Senior Member of Staff for him to upload onto the website. I found the experience very interesting as sitting down and interviewing someone in a professional way was a new concept to me. I felt myself get more confident with each interview I did and by the last one, I noticed a big difference in my mannerism and body language, even though it was done remotely.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time working with Attomus and wouldn’t change much. The two tasks I had to complete were very different but were both very valuable experiences to me. I felt I really benefited and learnt from the tasks. They served as introductions for me into the real world and I feel very privileged to get the chance to do some work like this at just 15 years of age. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the Senior Member of Staff who helped with my work at Attomos, as without him, none of this would have happened.

The rise of social media has changed the way the internet’s bad actors conduct their operations. Organisations are even more vulnerable due to the plethora of private information that is accessible to those who intend to harm them.

(image credit: rawpixel.com)

A 2022 survey recorded 39% of businesses in the United Kingdom as cyber-attack victims. Phishing attempts have been marked as the most common form of attacks, with 83% of respondents experiencing these, while more sophisticated attacks such as malware, denial of service or ransomware were also reported. Another threat companies need to watch out for is social media.

Over the past decade social media has become a huge tool for companies, yet there is a strong argument that it has become too intrusive. Tech pioneer Jaron Lanier in his book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now labels social media as dangerous due to how users are under continual surveillance. This made social media very attractive for hackers as there are multiple entry points to a company or individual’s account. In this post we will look at how social media has changed cybersecurity.

Cyber attackers can aggregate personal data

Personal data, such as parents’ or pets’ names, schools, or childhood jaunts can be used by cyber attackers as a gateway to accessing more sensitive details. This happened in 2019 when Facebook experienced a cyber-attack affecting 530 million subscribers with phone numbers and email addresses compromised due to a breach of a third-party feature.

Oversharing exposes individuals to phishing

Employees who overshare work details, such as photos and posts, are at risk because it gives attackers plenty of material to start posing as them. This is spear phishing, a type of phishing that targets a specific person to gain access to the whole organisation. Scammer Evalda Rimasauskas was able to do this from 2013 to 2015. She posed as the director of a fake version of tech company Quanta to steal $100 million from two other tech companies.

Data breach and malware

Organisations need to be cautious of the apps employees download on company devices as malware could be used to take over social media accounts. In April, a malware called Electron-bot was found embedded into several apps and games distributed through app stores. Once downloaded, it will use your social media accounts and use them for the promotion of their affiliated sites for monetary gain.

How to mitigate cybersecurity threats on social media

Strengthening the overall cyber infrastructure of an organisation should be prioritised in a more long-term approach. However, while you are scaling up your cyber defences, here are some tips on minimising cyber-attack risks.

Set rules for your organisation

All organisations that use social media should have a social media policy to guide employees. Social media guidelines may include rules on how to talk about the company, avoiding third-party apps that ask for personal information, using strong passwords, and the protocols to execute in case of suspected breaches. A social media policy is not only beneficial for cybersecurity, but also the public relations and marketing spheres.

Train employees in responsible social media use

Quite a lot of businesses couple their social media handbooks with online or in-person training. Our post Should Employee Training Include Cybersecurity? discusses how everyone from the bosses to the employees can strengthen their security by conscientiously using the internet. Bad social media habits are, after all, just habits, so it may take some time to unlearn them but it’s possible to adjust online behaviour and usage.

There is no single solution to counter the rise of cyber-attacks, but a more comprehensive approach with different, interlocking methods will is the best protection for organisations in the long run.

How To Secure Your Cold Wallets From Hackers

To keep your cryptocurrency investments secure, you must know how to keep your coins safe. With the ever-growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, cyber security threats have skyrocketed. Hackers are always looking for a weak spot in your system and will do anything they can to find it and take advantage of it. Your cold wallets are among the most vulnerable points on your network, but there are certain techniques that can be used to protect them

What Are Cold Wallets?

A cold wallet is a hardware-based cryptocurrency wallet that’s not attached to the internet. It’s typically used for the long-term storage of large amounts of coins and tokens. They’re often referred to as “paper wallets,” but they can be stored on physical flash drives, SD cards, and even hard drives.

How To Secure Your Cold Wallet?

Depending on the wallet that you’re using, you may need to make a few adjustments to keep your coins safe. This article will show you the best steps to take.

Paper Wallet Safety

Paper wallets are by far the most popular form of cold storage. These cold storage methods allow you to print out a paper wallet that you can store offline like a safety deposit box, or even bury it somewhere safe. You can create a paper wallet by signing up to a reputable website that offers this type of service.

After you’ve signed up, the website will generate a private and public key for you. You can then print these keys and store them safely in a safe place. You can also save your private key on an external hard drive or on an encrypted document that you only have access to.

Cold Storage Security

Cold storage is defined as any process that keeps user funds offline; not connected to the internet at all times. This means that you’ll need to keep the majority of your funds stored offline. Most of the popular cryptocurrency exchanges require minimum deposits and withdrawals, so it’s particularly important to store your coins securely if you do your trading through an exchange.

Cold Wallet Software Security

The secure way to store your coins is through a hardware-based cold wallet that is physically seperate from your computer or can be unplugged from it. A hardware wallet is an electronic device that serves as a cold wallet.

It contains your public and private keys and can be used to make crypto-to-crypto transactions. Hardware wallets are often (though not always) popular because they’re simple to use and very secure in comparison to other types of wallets.

Backups and Multi-Signature Technology

Even if you have a hard wallet, it’s important that you create a backup of your private keys and store that backup in a safe place. You should also consider using multi-signature technology for extra security when it comes to keeping your coins safe.

A multi-signature (also known as “multisig”) wallet is a wallet that requires multiple private keys to make a transaction. This means that you’ll need to make sure that you add multiple private keys to a single cold wallet.

A hardware wallet is one of the best types of hardware wallets because it allows you to store multiple keys at once, meaning you can secure multiple digital currencies on the same device. Furthermore, each can be used in combination with multi-signature technology to help secure your coins.

Importance of Local Backups

With every online service, there are always risks associated with storing data online. This is especially true for cryptocurrency users who store their private keys in an online wallet. With the popularity of cryptocurrencies, cyber criminals have realized the benefits of hacking your online wallets, and many people are opting to store their private keys offline as a result. To make sure that your coins are secure, you should always keep a local backup of your wallet.

Conclusion

There are a number of crypto wallet types, but no matter which type you choose, you should always take the time to research your options and find the best one for your needs. It’s important that you keep these tips in mind when securing your cold wallet to ensure that your investments are as safe as they can be. With the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, new threats have emerged on the scene.

Cyber criminals are always looking for a way to make money and if they target you, it can cost you dearly. Using hardware wallets like Trezor (trezor.io) or Ledger (ledger.io) is probably the most secure way to store cryptocurrencies. Regardless of your choice of wallet, you need to keep your private keys and seeds on a separate device. If you use a hardware wallet like this, it’s best that you store your coins offline. Looking for more crypto safety tips? Read up on our blog!

The Importance of DLP Strategies in Business

Today, data breaches are all too common and can happen quickly. A hacker might be able to compromise a laptop or workstation with access to customer information or steal data from the cloud server of a third-party vendor. 

It’s not just your own business that’s at risk either - you could also be subjected to an attack by organised hacking groups looking for their next big payday. The threat that they pose to your business is real, but there are steps you can take to minimise the risks.

What Is A DLP Strategy?

Data loss prevention, or DLP, is a type of security solution that identifies and protects sensitive data while it’s at rest and in transit. A DLP strategy involves more than just installing software on your network. A DLP strategy is a set of policies, procedures and guidelines that can help you to identify the sensitive data in your business that is worth protecting. 

One of the most important weapons in your arsenal is a data loss prevention (DLP) strategy because it can help to protect your company’s IP, customer data, and trade secrets. Without a strategy, you’re likely to overlook valuable information and leave it vulnerable to theft.

Why Does Your Business Need A DLP Strategy?

In the current information security world, DLP is often seen as an afterthought or an extra step that you should add to your existing security strategy. If you’re looking for a security solution, start by asking whether or not DLP is included in the offering. When you consider the benefits of DLP for your business, you’ll likely find that it provides substantial value far outweighing the cost.  

Benefits of A DLP Strategy

Data Loss Prevention can help you to reduce your exposure to threats and protect your business both today and in the future. The benefits of DLP include:

• Data Ownership

Protecting sensitive data in your business can give you more control over how it’s used within your company. Sensitive data that’s stored on-premise or in the cloud, whilst preventing outside parties from accessing it provides a higher level of security. When you control the data, you can be more effective at preventing unauthorised access, reducing your liability, and meeting compliance requirements.

• Reduced Exposure To Regulatory Penalties

Failing to protect sensitive information in your business is a major risk factor when it comes to regulatory penalties. HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of the United States requires that healthcare providers safeguard patient information and maintain privacy and security over any recorded health data, whilst the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe. Failing to comply with these laws can result in serious penalties and fines, from regulatory sanctions through to civil and even criminal penalties.

• Corporate Image

Data Loss Prevention is an important part of your company’s brand image. The DLP team can help to identify sensitive data that’s important to your business, ensuring that it’s properly protected and safeguarded so that no details are leaked such as digital business cards. Data Loss Prevention can also help to establish what information is sensitive for a new business partner or customer.

• Awareness

Awareness of the risks associated with sensitive data theft is vital if you want your security and protection level to be better than the competition. A thorough DLP strategy will help you to get more staff involved in protecting your company’s data, through both training and awareness initiatives. 

Furthermore, you’ll often find that a DLP strategy helps with other aspects of your security strategy. The DLP team can help you identify lost or stolen equipment, and identify the best solutions for recovering your data. They should also be aware of any security gaps in your current security system and can point any issues you have towards a solution that’s best suited to your business. 

Why DLP Is Important To Your Business

DLP is important to your business because the future viability of your business depends upon it. Many organisations are starting to realise that security is a major concern that can affect their bottom line and put them at risk of data breaches occurring and sensitive data being stolen. 

Poor cybersecurity measures can lead to sensitive data that could easily go missing, and the results could be disastrous. As hackers become more sophisticated, it’s important to do everything that you can to protect your company’s information assets.

Conclusion

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) measures to protect your organization from cybersecurity attacks are an important aspect of your business’s security strategy. The best way to protect the information in your business is to start with a DLP strategy that covers the most sensitive data that can be targeted by attackers. 

A comprehensive DLP strategy can help you to reduce your exposure to regulatory penalties and costs, while also protecting important IP, customer information, and trade secrets. Use this as a starting point for developing policies, procedures, and guidelines that will help you to protect your data. To learn more about DLP Strategies get in touch now.

As competition continues to get tougher, businesses look for new ways to stay ahead of the game. Thanks to technology, businesses of any size have access to tools that can help them on their path to success. Technologies push companies forward by focusing on the parts of their business that need the most help. And for most companies, it’s customer success. Customer is king. This mantra may be as old as time, but it still rings true. Businesses that thrive are ones that are customer-centric. Those that understand that customer experience is key and focus on customer success will be the ones who will lead the pack. And if you want to be part of the group of businesses that thrive, then you should start building a technology stack for customer success.

What is customer success?

Customer success may be confused with customer support, the latter being reactive to customer complaints.

Customer success is what a business does to understand the customer journey and ensure that the company’s products or services help customers achieve their goals, or to put it in even more simple terms, success. Customer success is essential for any customer-centric company. While customer success teams contribute to the bottom line (i.e. revenue and cost-savings), it’s best to measure them using more specific metrics, or KPIs. Some of the more relevant customer success metrics include:

1. Customer lifetime value, or CLV is the total revenue or value that a business expects from their entire relationship with the customer.
2. Repeat purchase rate is a good indicator of whether customers had a satisfactory experience with your product or service enough that they decide to repurchase or extend their contract.
3. Churn rate is measured by looking at the number of customers lost over a specific period of time. You would want to aim for as low of a churn rate as possible, as high churn rates can mean you’ve lost your customer’s business or they’ve moved to another vendor.
4. Customer retention rate or CRR represents the ratio of existing customers the company has retained over a specific period. A high CRR is a good sign of customer loyalty.
5. Net Promoter Score, or NPS, is usually measured using a single-question customer survey and then by deducting the detractors from the promoters.
6. Customer Satisfaction Score, just like the NPS, is based on customer feedback. This can provide important and actionable qualitative information direct from the customers.
7. Customer effort score or CES - much like the NPS and customer satisfaction scores, CES is based on customer feedback. Low effort from customers can mean that they find transacting with your business easy and convenient.
8. Customer retention cost, or CRC, helps you measure if your investments made on retention and customer success are justified or if you need to rethink your budget spend.

To help your company get flying colors with these customer success metrics, you will need to build your Customer Success (CS) Technology Stack.

Building a Technology Stack for Your Customer Success Team

Think of every super team in history, and you’ll find that they’re made up of members that are committed to doing their roles and doing them well. The same goes for building a technology stack.

Much like a data stack with its data source, data analytics, and ETL tools, a customer success technology stack also consists of a suite of tools or software that helps the team manage the total customer journey. Here is the basic foundation of your technology stack:

Customer Onboarding: First impressions matter in everything, especially in business. You can only have the customer’s attention for so long before they stop looking or start looking somewhere else.

Helpdesk or Customer Support: In an ideal world, your customer wouldn’t have any concerns or issues with your products. But when they do, robust helpdesk software is your best bet. Your helpdesk or customer support software should be able to automate essential tasks like ticket management, reporting, chat solutions, etc.

Subscription Management: Your tech stack should include a subscription management software that will help you streamline the whole billing, customer management process and manage churn. A great subscription management software should also be able to provide reporting with analytics on billing, recurring payments, and accounting, and eventually retain the right customers.

Customer Feedback: Feedback from customers is valuable information that, when used correctly, can become actionable items that will improve pain points across different parts of the company, from product development to customer experience to website management. To get timely and quality customer feedback, your software should be user-friendly and accessible to your customers throughout their customer journey.

Conclusion

There are plenty of SAAS (Software As A Service) companies that offer the software that you need to build your customer success technology stack. Once you have clear goals of what you want your tech stack to do for you, you’ll be able to correctly select the right software that works for you and your business needs. A gentle reminder, though, that since software is cloud-based, you will also need to invest in measures to ensure cloud security and data integrity. It is essential that the valuable information that your customer success tech stack holds be secured for both your company and clients.

You should invest in technology that will push your customer success team’s performance to greater heights. Because customer success equates to your overall company’s success as well.

In the present day, nearly all companies are digital. And if they’re not fully digital, they are quickly moving in that direction. Whether it be hiring, recruitment, employee management, or day-to-day tasks, most organisations function primarily with an internet connection. Online presence has become a vital element for companies nowadays and not just for gaining a profit. Did you know that 37% of job seekers will move on to another job offer if they can’t find information about the company online? This has made the recruitment process a lot more challenging. But worry no more. This article is designed to give you valuable information about online hiring in the cybersecurity industry and its true value for your business.

How Online Hiring is Affecting Cybersecurity

The fast-moving digital transformation caused by the pandemic has indeed made the hiring process even more challenging. Even with lots of great candidates, not having a formal face-to-face interview can make it difficult. This is especially true for information and cyber-security roles.

The ISACA’s 2021 State of Cybersecurity report indicated that 61% of cybersecurity teams are understaffed. Furthermore, 55% stated they have unfilled cybersecurity positions as well. These numbers make it even more apparent how much remote work and online hiring have affected the whole cybersecurity field. Leaving this issue alone can cause huge problems in companies, especially with the increased cyber attacks in the past years.

How to Get the Best Cybersecurity Candidate

With the new challenges recruiters face due to digitalisation, locating and hiring candidates is twice as difficult. But companies can’t survive or thrive in this era without a proper cybersecurity team, can they? Don’t worry; below are some of the top tips to help you get the best cybersecurity candidate, despite the current situation.

Look beyond the usual places

Recruiters definitely need to break away from targeting the same people — graduates of particular schools or from specific majors. One great way is looking into skills-based events, where you can get the chance to meet high-performing security candidates. You can also try looking in-house or into apprenticeship programs. There are many excellent sources of talents you might have missed. So go outside the box and look beyond the usual places.

Focus on relevant skills over formal education

Instead of focusing solely on higher education degrees, focus more on asking, “What skills do you bring to the job?” Sometimes, the best cybersecurity professionals won’t have formal education or higher degrees. Look for candidates who have certifications that can validate their knowledge of the best practices. Don’t forget to assess soft skills, too! Communication, leadership, business writing, and critical thinking are all just as important as cybersecurity knowledge. If you are building a team, then you should also consider how well they would fit into the group.

Have willingness to train candidates

That perfect “has-it-all” candidate that you’ve been looking for does not exist. Or if they do, they are probably not looking for a job right now. Instead of being too busy looking for a candidate that can do it all, hire realistically. Look for the one who has the most appropriate skills and values and someone who has the most potential with training.

Sell the job

The ever-competitive job market isn’t just applicable to job seekers. It’s even more competitive to recruiters like you. With countless companies that need cybersecurity professionals, standing out can be difficult. It’s crucial that you know how to sell the job correctly. Put more effort into your job postings, learn what appeals to candidates, and offer them what they want.

Don’t require “niche skills” if not necessary

Plenty of cybersecurity roles surely need specific technical expertise. However, not all of them do! There are also quite a lot of generalist roles where special technical skills aren’t required. So make sure to check your job descriptions and avoid requiring specialised skills that aren’t necessary for specific functions.

Benefits of Cybersecurity for Your Business

At this point, you already know how to build an A-class cybersecurity team. Congratulations! However, if you are still having second thoughts about taking the next step, take a look at these benefits cybersecurity can bring to your business:

Avoid Penalties

Globally, legislation protecting the security and privacy of personal data acquired by private companies is becoming increasingly important. Violations of these regulations can result in significant fines and penalties such as:

• HIPAA - from $100 and $50,000 per violation (maximum penalty of $1.5 million annually)
• GDPR - 4% of a company’s global turnover or 20 million euros (whichever is higher)
• PCI-DSS - between $5,000 and $100,000 per month

To avoid these penalties, you must have a cybersecurity team to ensure you comply with security standards.

Protect Business Reputation

As if all those costly penalties aren’t enough, data breaches can harm your company’s reputation, too. You risk losing customer trust and people thinking that your company is untrustworthy. Harmful breaches can make it appear that your company doesn’t take adequate precautions to protect your customers’ privacy and security. Having professionals take care of data management will prevent this nightmare from happening.

Promote a Safe Working Environment

If you don’t build the best cybersecurity solutions for your company, you and your employees will constantly be at risk of a cyber-attack. Having your system or computers infected significantly affects productivity, as viruses can slow them down. Not only does this waste a lot of time for your employees, but it also flushes a lot of money down the drain for your business. Luckily, with a great cybersecurity team, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Use these tips to take your cybersecurity team and your company to the next level. You won’t regret it!

Smartphones nowadays are powerful enough to match what laptops can do. Not only are they portable and easy to carry, but they are also essential beacons of communication and information that have become an integral part of our everyday lives.

Due to its many advantages, the use of mobile technology is exponentially rising. Work landscapes and life as we know it has evolved rapidly because of the pandemic. People are now working from anywhere, and having a smartphone is not just a ‘must-have’—it is already a requirement to stay connected wherever we are in the world.

Since we can do almost anything with our phones—from engaging in immersive games, controlling appliances to finishing workloads (and even settling our bills) — many applications get developed to cater to the needs of the modern world.

Mobile Application Security

Mobile programs increase our productivity through convenient services available across the internet, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and servers. As more data gets uploaded in the cloud, the more personalised the experience becomes. 

However, attacks on mobile apps has also become more prone to breaches and cyber threats because of the vast data in these systems and the broad attack surface. Businesses and app developers must come together to strengthen their cyber resilience by developing a better security wall within their applications and databases. 

So, here are some ways that can help improve your mobile application security:

1. Encrypt data

   As much as possible, do not keep user data in your servers to avoid risks. Use encryption and secure data in containers, use key chains, and utilise cookies if you need to store user data. Logs must also be deleted from time to time automatically, both from a security standpoint and to confirm with GDPR and other privacy legislation. 

   Although encrypting alone cannot prevent data hacks, it will lower the risks of decoding actual information from your users. This also helps in protecting consumer trust which can have a high investment return through loyalty.

2. Prevent data from being lost or leaked

   You need to invest in keeping your users’ sensitive data through a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategy. DLP is a measure to protect intellectual property, corporate data, and consumer data from breaches. Also, having a DLP tool strengthens data security by allowing apps to be eligible to HIPAA regulations, which can further strengthen the credibility of your offering.

   When users install and sign up for your app, they must agree upon certain permissions before using the app. This is the part where historically users skip past reading it because of its length and they simply accept it immediately. But, this is the right way to inform your users that you implement permissions accordingly, not just letting it get by for businesses or third parties to use for advertising or other agendas. Set the standard for others to follow.

3. Secure data in transit

   Information from the user that goes to your servers is vulnerable to privacy leaks and data theft. Developers must ensure the security of the data, whether it is traveling across a public or private network. It is easy to modify or access data by unwanted systems, so tunnels must have support to lessen the risk of data in transit security issues.

4. Secure API endpoints

   Back-end APIs must be secured to ensure safety from attack - both denial and direct attempts to access data or access your system. These should be aligned based on the operating system as transport mechanisms and API authentication differ from one to another.

5. Enforce High-Level Authentication

   Nowadays, apps require password complexity - be it a combination of capital and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Some are now adding additional protections such not allowing users to include a part of their name or email address in their password. This forces the user to make a stronger password and be more careful protecting their data. 

   Further, more apps are now encouraging their users to activate two-factor authentication (2FA) when logging in to their accounts. The premise is that when you log in, the password is not enough; it requires a second code that is sent to your mobile number or email address. This ties not just something that the user knows, but something that they have - giving increased confidence that the user logging in is indeed the person intended. Some apps require a fingerprint or retinal scanning instead of a code. All of these mechanisms enhance the protection of your app because you can lessen breaches when you have a strong authentication method. It also makes the users feel more secure when using your app.

6. Align to Policies

   You need to be aware of the limitations and security features of several operating systems when developing an app. Operating systems such as Android and iOS have different support systems when it comes to encryption and password management. 

   Code accordingly when you plan to launch your app to multiple platforms by researching and ensuring your understanding platform-specific limitations.

7.  Perform Thorough and Constant Testing

   Test your app before publishing it, not only to see if it functions as it should be but also for security checks. Generate random security attack scenarios to identify security issues and fortify your app against them. Also, review your source code for bugs and vulnerabilities - there are a multitude of tools that can help you, feel free to get in contact to learn more.

   When you launch your app to the users, do not stop testing it from time to time. Security must be monitored constantly as developers fix detected issues.

Quality checks and security planning are the keys to better mobile security

Aside from convenience, security should also be a top-of-mind priority of companies in developing their applications. Quality checks must be completed regularly along with contingency plans in case of data breaches and cybersecurity issues. Plan ahead, don’t find yourself reacting if the unthinkable happens.

With a stable and secured app, you can prevent hackers from stealing sensitive information from your users. It is also a positive that allows you to differentiate your offering - leading to positive reviews and commercial success.

With the dramatic shift to remote working we have witnessed during the pandemic, developments in communication and technology have gained momentum. The way we work isn’t the same as it used to be. 

To keep a collaborative environment even when working from home or wherever employees find themselves most productive nowadays, businesses rely on platforms like Slack. With 8 million plus daily users, the chat system gives teams a convenient and accessible way to communicate. But with all of the benefits it provides, it also comes with cybersecurity risks.

To counter these threats and achieve long-term data security on Slack, it’s crucial to first understand them a little better. Below are five of the most common cybersecurity challenges you might experience while using Slack for your business and ways on how you can manage them. 

Onboarding New Employees & Guest Users

Cybersecurity threats might seem like they will always stem from weaknesses in a system’s code, but there are many times when these risks arise due to user error. That’s why employees should train for cybersecurity while using Slack—especially if you are onboarding or off-boarding internal employees and external guests.

If any user is left in your organisation’s Slack workspace after their affiliation has ended, they might retain access to confidential business information. 

Take note of the following to mitigate cybersecurity threats: 

• If admins can add external guests, your organisation needs to put regularly-reviewed policies in place. Make sure that you have clear rules regarding the removal of guests once their engagement with your company is completed. 
• If you already have standard employee onboarding and termination procedures set, adding the onboarding and off-boarding of Slack accounts is a great addition to your process. Communication with HR is vital as IT or whichever department is responsible for employees’ Slack user accounts must know exactly when they should create or delete a user account. 

Assigning Roles Within The Workspace 

Slack users with “Admin” and “Owner” roles are given a significant amount of power within the system. They are the only ones from your organisation that can create and manage user groups. However, it’s important to know that any admin can change those settings easily in a drop-down menu. 

It is because of this that any one of your organisation’s admins can go in and make it possible for all of a workspace’s users to modify, create, delete, and disable user groups. Aside from the obvious potential for abuse of power, user error can also occur which may result in unintentional deletion of important groups. 

Because of this, having one employee to create, moderate, and manage user groups is not advisable. Grant admin rights to a few users, but balance the potential risk of data loss when doing so. Whenever you are assigning Admin and Owner roles, understand what their rights and responsibilities are so that you’re comfortable assigning these roles to certain employees. 

Insider Threat 

One of the biggest risks to cybersecurity is insider threat - Slack is no different. Aside from a collaboration and productivity tool, it also acts as a digital water cooler for your employees and that may just cause a few problems data-wise. 

Employees can casually share sensitive information over Slack and not think much about it. However, even if Slack encrypts its data, it is still good practice to be careful about what we say. 

The security of a platform is only as strong as the people using it. That’s why training employees is crucial. Don’t forget to monitor for threats and implement layered security protocols in addition to what Slack already offers. 

Third-Party Integrations 

Slack has made it very easy for users to integrate third-party apps such as Google Drive and CRM. While this creates a smoother collaboration process, linking these apps just means that obtaining information that may or may not be sensitive will be effortless. 

Rule of thumb, avoid third-party app integrations as much as possible. This is the safest solution. However, if connecting Slack to your apps is extremely beneficial to your organisation, always confirm first that the appropriate authentication protocols are being followed. 

Review any third-party integrations every quarter. If you have integrations that you no longer need, remove them immediately.

Vulnerabilities In The System 

Due to Slack’s current popularity and the size of its active user base, it has become an appealing target for hackers. Not even this communication tool is off-limits to cybercrime and breaches especially since it holds valuable private information. 

Data breaches on Slack can expose usernames, email addresses, encrypted passwords, and phone numbers that are stored by your company. While these threats are beyond your organisation’s control, but they still need to be understood to map the threat landscape of cloud systems and applications. 

No platform can guarantee that it will never be breached by those who would like to take advantage of your data. Hence, it’s important to prepare for the worst-case scenario should a Slack security breach occur. 

Never ever settle for less when it comes to securing the communication platforms your organisation uses. When it comes to cybersecurity, it pays to be doubly secure. Policies are great, but incorporating Slack security training into new employee programs and running regular refresher courses are the best proactive solutions to prevent cybersecurity threats over Slack from ever happening.

Are you the weak link that could lead to a massive cybersecurity breach that could lead to millions of dollars in fines for a company?

Doesn’t seem to be a real possibility, right?

But the truth is, each of us has the potential to be a gateway to major breaches for our employers, our customers, clients, and suppliers. 

Or you may not be the direct link - it could be something you trusted to be safe, only it wasn’t. 

In fact the weak link that leads to a compromised security system may not originate from you. It could be as a result of a supply chain attack from your third-party partners and suppliers.

Here’s how to plan for it and what you can do now to protect yourself and your business.

Understanding your digital supply chain

As a business owner, your company is a part of a supply chain.

If you operate in the B2B space, you’re a part of the supply chain for the companies that engage you for your products or services. Companies that provide you with your inputs are part of the supply chain to your business.

So, as you can see, it’s all an interlinked interaction of various supply chains supporting different businesses and customers. That means from large companies to smaller entities, we are all linked to each other, even vital organisations.

Now, at the highest level, systems are quite likely to be heavily defended. But, as you go further down in the supply chain, the security systems might not be as intricate as smaller companies may not realise how they’re linked to critical businesses and therefore don’t have – or can’t afford – as robust security systems.

This leaves them – us as individuals – open to supply chain attacks, because there are risks hidden inside your hardware and software supply chain.

What is a supply chain attack?

As primary targets engage more sophisticated cyber security coutermeasures, hackers have resorted to supply chain attacks to breach their boundary. 

Those updates you automatically install from your trusted suppliers? They can be compromised without the supplier knowing until weeks after.

For example, in the US in 2017, Target has indicated a massive breach with millions of customers’ personal data compromised. But the hack did not occur directly through them. It was via their HVAC supplier, a third-party vendor to their operations.

A more recent supply chain example involved the US Department of Homeland Security. The DHS was breached when a code was embedded in updates of its third-party software provided by SolarWinds Corp. 

As you can pick up from the example above, a supply chain attack is a situation whereby hackers gain access to compromise a target by exploiting a related third-party. So, the hackers use the third-party system to distribute malicious code along a trusted line to the actual target user. 

So, SolarWinds Corp, wasn’t the target. They were the conduits to the ultimate goal. 

For a similar situation closer to home consider the Shylock banking trojan which compromised Website Builders used by web developers and digital agencies. The hackers installed a redirect script on the legitimate websites through the website builders and redirected online visitors to a malicious domain where the Shylock malware was then installed on the systems of the persons viewing the websites.

(Image source)

Examples of supply chain attacks

Here are three common ways in which supply chain attacks are carried out:

1. Injecting malicious code into third-party code libraries 

Most applications contain a code library and other components created by a third party. Hackers can insert malicious code into these third-party components which are then used for other applications by unsuspecting developers. (Consider the Website Builder supply chain attack above).  

2. Hijacking software or server updates 

As seen in the SolarWinds incident, the malicious code was inserted during routine updates from a trusted source. So, if update files are transmitted via an insecure channel, then they can be replaced with one that includes the malicious code. 

3. Inserting malicious code into legitimate applications 

This is where the software is compromised before it is released to the intended customers. Hackers will place malicious code before the application is completed. 

The National Cyber Security Centre goes further into details about types of supply chain attacks to be aware of. 

The reason these attacks work so well is that the third-party vendor is a trusted source. So, it’s easier for malicious software to bypass end-point protection in the process.

This then leads to the question … 

How secure are your own communication systems?

A supply chain of attack can happen at any level and at any point in a supply chain. 

(Image source)

This means you could be potentially compromised, as can your customers. 

Hackers will use your point in the supply chain to go upstream or downstream in their quest to access their real target. And in doing so, your data will be compromised. 

So, how can they get in?

Take your communication tools, for example. You might think that because the message platforms offer end-to-end encryption that your data is safe. But did you know that hackers can still scrape enough data to harm you? 

There’s still a lot of information to be gained from the package of data that passes through if it carries, for example, your phone number and GPS location. Plus, where that information is stored on someone else’s server, hackers have all the time in the world to compromise it, and they don’t need to break into your Communications Provider - they ‘simply’ need to compromise a public library that is used in the build process.

A reason for concern 

As the pandemic has forced more businesses to adopt digital measures and supply chains become digitalised to improve operational efficiencies, the potential for hacks increases. 

And not just for your data, but for the data that you have access to because of whom your clients are. 

As you engage in business communication across a variety of platforms, the possibilities increase for one or more of those channels to be compromised. 

And on your personal devices, the other platforms you use for your personal activities could end up compromising your business activities. 

Take, for example, social sharing networks and social media platforms. They promise end-to-end encryption of messages. But the packet data through which those messages are transmitted do leave information that can be compromised and the servers on which your messages are stored can be hacked. 

Mitigating third-party supply chain cybersecurity risks in your business 

The digital supply chain – especially where hardware and software are concerned – is susceptible to various cyber threats. 

And many CISOs and IT managers have confessed to sacrificing cybersecurity to facilitate remote working. But with the regulations in place for data breaches, and potential fines of up to 4% of your business’s gross income, it’s not something to be taken lightly. 

Meanwhile as many employees are in fact working remotely from their private devices, they may not have adequate systems in place to safeguard your company.

Now that you’ve had time to get your teams back up and running, it’s time to get back to taking care of the security side of things. 

Because while you may be a small business in the supply chain of major corporations, you don’t want it said that your company is where a breach originated. Think about the reputational damage this could cause. 

So, to get started, we suggest looking at how your company facilitates business communication.  

None of us is too insignificant in a supply chain to not be of use to a hacker - and we certainly don’t want to be the weakest point so the focus of a hacker’s attention. 

So, one popular trend for breaching systems is by hackers pretending to be a vendor or part of the company - called a social or phishing breach. If an email appears to be from a familiar name, you may not look too closely at the email origination. So, you need to verify that communication is coming from the expected party. 

In instances like these, a safe and secure business communication system does come in handy. (Think Semafore by Attomus which not only encrypts communication data from end-to-end, but also protects your packet data in the transfer process.)

Can you eliminate the risks of supply chain attacks?

It’s difficult to eliminate the risks of supply chain attacks because the software or hardware in which they’d travel isn’t under your control. 

But there are a few things you can do to help protect yourself as best as possible. 

First of all, insist on certain security protocols with businesses in your supply chain. Take what security precautions you can. 

You should protect your personal computers so that you don’t become the unwitting entry point for a supply chain attack. This can include installing quality security software that you keep up to date. You should also consistently back up your data and systems in case you fall victim to an attack, particularly a ransom attack, so you can move your systems back in time to before the compromise.

Also consider installing an advanced detection solution to try and identify and eliminate these types of attacks (HIDS/NIDS) anbd invest in secure communication channels for your business.

If you’d like to learn more about using Semafore for secure business communication and the other solutions you can use to protect yourself, get in touch. We’d be happy to walk you through them, assess your needs, and outline solutions that are best suited for your business and threat level.

Good Simply Isn’t Enough. The Hidden Costs of Poor Cybersecurity Measures for Small Businesses

Cybersecurity measures for small businesses is a major topic as we head into 2021. 

It comes as no surprise, given the pandemic, the increasing number of attacks, and various high-profile companies making the news. 

Zoom came to the forefront of cybersecurity issues when it became known that they didn’t provide end-to-end encryption of customer’s communication. The company reached a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission for misrepresenting its security features.

There were also several other high profile companies hacked during the year. For example, Twitter accounts were hacked through Twitter’s own company Slack account. 

Now, if these major companies are susceptible to such big breaches, where does that leave you?

Prioritising cybersecurity for your small business is a must

Cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought. 

Cybersecurity measures in today’s digital climate must be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. 

With the pandemic having forced many businesses to operate remotely, and many individuals now working on personal devices – the threats have skyrocketed in the interim. 

Companies are reporting more attempts at delivering malicious code to their systems. You see, most attackers are opportunists. They take advantage of vulnerabilities and are not averse to going after the big guys and the low hanging fruits. There are multiple phishing scams, watering hole attacks, and various cyberattacks using legitimate sources with backdoors to their products or services. 

As a small business, you can provide hackers with access to data and money. So, if your security systems are at the more basic end with lower-than-average defences, you’re placing your business at risk. Certainly in the current climate everyone is a target, but if it’s easier to target you instead of the business next door…

So, now that the mad scramble has died down and we need to facilitate on-going remote working capabilities alongside in-office activities, it’s time to assess your security protocols to move away from the bare minimum.

Developing a new cybersecurity standard for your business 

Bringing your security suite up to an acceptable standard means engaging cyber security experts who can assess your status with a view to implementing safeguards for now and the future. 

It pays to look at endpoint protection combined with detection and response capabilities. As such, you may need to look beyond just traditional antivirus solutions to more robust endpoint protection software. 

Best Practices to Adopt 

Cloud security 

As you look to improve your security measures, you need to implement systems to keep your cloud-based data, applications, and infrastructure secure. More than likely, you’ve started accessing more cloud-based services, especially to facilitate remote access. Choose cloud platforms that offer the highest level of security and make sure you’re using multiple factors of authentication.

Network Security 

The most basic step to protect your network is restricting access to your Wi-Fi with a password. If you offer guests or clients Wi-Fi access, make sure it’s not the same Wi-Fi network as the one for your internal systems, and ideally maintain an ‘air gap’ (ie no electronic connection) between guest and internal systems. And now that your team are working at home so much more, make sure that you educate and insist upon a minimum level of protection in your staff’s home set ups.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

This is especially critical for remote working environments where your staff need to connect to your local network, but you cannot be assured of the security at their remote end. A VPN allows you to secure your company’s data in an encrypted format. So, if the information is intercepted, all the hackers will have is encrypted data. 

Software Updates 

Updating software is critical to prevent hackers from using outdated apps with known vulnerabilities to access your system. But there is also the possibility for supply chain attacks using these trusted third-party auto-update features. So, in addition to updating your software on a regular basis, ensure you invest in security solutions that can assess, detect, and respond to potential threats.

Limiting those cybersecurity hidden costs

The obvious repercussions of poor cybersecurity measures may be felt in the fines that hit your bottom-line if you’re a private organisation.

But consider your reputational damage, the loss of future business that could occur. How your personal data could be compromised. 

So, while basic is good, it’s just not good enough in today’s digital climate. Attackers go after the easy target, so make yourself less attractive by stepping up your security game.

You need better than average security measures, no matter the size of your business.

Today we have another guest post, this time by Rhea Murray writing exclusively for Attomus:

Let me start by stating the obvious - it pays to offer continuous and comprehensive employee training. A Life with Health CEO Aimee Tariq explains why in her article ‘4 Big Benefits of Improved Employee Training’. She outlines how such an initiative provides a quicker pathway to productivity, enhances employee engagement, improves employee retention, and helps ensure long-term profitability.
And in this increasingly digitalised world, offering digital skills training has become a must, with tech writer Daniel Ling noting in the blog ‘Professional Development in Today’s Digital Landscape’ how training in anything related to tech and digital marketing “can fill skill gaps,” in turn “ensuring relevancy in fast-evolving areas of knowledge.” This applies to all your employees regardless of where they are in the business spectrum — a nervous first jobber, a mid-level employee, or an influential decision-maker.

Relevancy in different areas, though, need not come at the expense of safety, especially in the digital realm where work is often conducted (saving in the cloud, using cloud-based services) and business is usually transacted (as in eCommerce and online registrations). In other words, you must make sure that your team has a working knowledge of cybersecurity, and one way to ensure that is to include cybersecurity training in your employee development programs.

This is now truer more than ever in light of the UK’s high level of exposure to and potential impact from cyber-attacks — something confirmed recently by the National Audit Office. That’s due to the country being “one of the world’s most open and most digital economies,” which then makes it “vulnerable to attack from hostile counties, criminal gangs and individuals.” And currently cybercrime in the UK is at an all-time high, with the National Cyber Security Centre having dealt with a record 723 cyber attacks over the past year, of which 194 are coronavirus-related.

Even worse, one attack can have wide-ranging ramifications, as it can adversely impact, among other things, business continuity, intellectual property, personal integrity, and professional integrity. Ultimately, preventing that attack is the responsibility of everyone, from upper management to those in the lowest rungs of your organisation. Indeed, cybersecurity is everybody’s business; the problem is, not everyone knows enough about it to adequately do their part.

This is where cybersecurity training will prove helpful, as it will not only orient your employees about the importance of cybersecurity, but also the effects that cybercrime can have on your organisation. These include potential lawsuits from data breaches, money laundering, and sensitive information getting into the wrong hands. In turn, this heightened awareness of cybersecurity and its ramifications can lead to increased vigilance among your employees in doing their part in keeping the organisation from being an easy target of cybercrime.

Just as importantly, cybersecurity training will acquaint your staff with enough knowledge to minimise, if not prevent entirely, cyber breaches on their end. The best part is that cybersecurity training for employees need not delve into the technical nitty-gritty of cybersecurity (the domain of IT staff). Instead, all it has to offer is training on basic cybersecurity principles, like the following:

• Recognising and handling suspicious emails and links
• Using the internet prudently and judiciously
• Exercising vigilance when using removable devices
• Spotting scams and third-party social engineering
• Utilising strong password and authentication systems
• Employing virtual private networks
• Encrypting files and sensitive documents
• Connecting to secure network

All of this training is bound to pay off handsomely for your organisation, as it can avoid cyber attacks that can potentially be crippling financially — like the WannaCry ransomware incident in 2018 that cost the NHS £92 million. In total, cyber attacks cost UK businesses £34 billion, and they can potentially be a death knell for small businesses with very little capital to wear such a storm.

This is why investing in cybersecurity training for your employees is a must, so you can give your employees and your organisation an extra layer of protection against cyber criminals.

Let us start by stating an age-old maxim : You cannot eliminate all risks. But you can reduce the level of risks to an acceptable standard. That’s why building an Information Security and Risk Management (ISRM) programme is essential.

Our businesses generate an ever-increasing volume of data. So, in an era where information is currency, and cyber threats continue to evolve, an effective ISRM programme is a necessity.

Let’s take a quick look at ISRM and what it takes to put in place an effective programme.

What it Means to have an Effective ISRM Programme

Information protection may seem to be an IT function. And it was treated that way for a while. But information has evolved into a critical business support activity. Because of this, data security becomes a greater issue resulting in information security needing a strategy all on its own.

An Information Security and Risk Management programme gives companies a strategic framework to address infrastructure protection. This framework should be aligned with the company’s vision and objectives. An effective ISRM must incorporate a company’s risk profile. It identifies and evaluates risks to company data with a strategy to mitigate these risks.

The Three Keys to Implementing a Corporate ISRM Programme

Each of these three keys is multi-layered. So, you’ll need a comprehensive and strategic plan to implement each area.

1. Identification of Assets and Threats

This first step in the process of building out your information security plan starts with identifying your company’s digital assets. You look at the vulnerabilities in your system, and the threats you are and could face. Then you identify the controls you have in place and what’s missing.

2. Assessment

At this juncture, you put together the information you have pulled about your assets and controls and define what is considered a risk to your company.

This is also the time when you assess your company’s risk tolerance. What are the acceptable risks you’re willing to take, and where do you draw the line? Once you’re outlined that line in the sand, you can now start the process of identifying the controls necessary to prevent those unacceptable risks from becoming a reality.

You should note, however, that assessment of risks comes with an inherent flaw – the subjectivity of perceived risks. As explained by Malcolm W Harkins in Managing Risk and Information Security, within an organisation, each individual and groups’ “role, goal, background, and peer group influencers the perception of risks.”

This can even happen to security professionals. For example, enterprise IT would employ a typical “set and forget” path and fail to keep controls up-to-date. This means not ignoring seemingly older threats for newer risks. At this juncture, an independent third-party security expert can assess the risks in keeping with the goals and structure of the company.

3. Treatment & Monitoring

Here you’ll outline and implement the strategies necessary to address the risks identified. This may include remediation, steps to risk avoidance, or transferring the risk. It could also mean accepting the risks as part of your company’s risk tolerance profile.

Managing Risk and Information Security – where do you go from here?

As a CISO or Chief Risk Officer responsible for risk management and information security, it’s on you to get it right. Your core business functions, brand value, and image are all tied to your ability to keep your company and its clients’ information secure.

What, therefore, can you do? It’s an ongoing process, one that has to be reviewed and updated as the risks change, and threats evolve.

If you manage a government agency or operate a medium to large size business, we should talk. Let’s discuss how to develop a comprehensive ISRM programme, one that includes an effective cybersecurity incident response plan.

If the Covid-19 pandemic has forced your organisation to adopt remote working for employees, it is very likely that you were required to roll out new IT applications and services to maintain your employee efficiency, business continuity and [production capacity]. But as companies are implementing the new system to cater to the needs of remote workforces, this transformation may not have been very smooth for some of them due to limited technology capability. It is quite understandable that the speed with which the pandemic has spread, organisations understandably did not put cybersecurity in the forefront while implementing a remote workspace system.

While organisational IT infrastructures may be overloaded with increased demand, it has given cyber criminals an opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities in temporary and newly implemented IT systems. Now that the initial pandemic panic has considerably died down and people have started to adapt to remote working, it’s time for organisations to evaluate their changed IT infrastructure and its impact on security. The last thing you would want after being already financially strained during this time is to become a target of cybercriminals and face further reputational and financial constraints.

To ensure the robustness of your company’s security setup and protect your organisation from cyber threats during this critical time, below is a security checklist of recommended considerations and steps to keep in mind while your employees work remotely.

IT Infrastructure

Enable security protection on all endpoints

Enforce software updates on remote employees

Ensure secure remote access to IT assets, accounting for the increased capacity of being accessed by increased number of users

Increase the time and capacity of IT helpdesk service to ensure that all employees get uninterrupted service and help while working remotely

Ensure that helpdesk staff confirm identity before granting password resets or other unusual requests

Provide a software solution to employees for backing up their critical data

If staff are using a cloud storage service, ensure that they only use an approved service

Governance and Risk

Update your policies and procedures for using devices at home and communicate accordingly to employees

Remind employees to ensure the confidentiality of their work and not to share their devices with others

Ask all employees to regularly update their software applications and operating systems

Communicate information security awareness messages regularly to employees to strengthen their security concepts

Give reminders to staff to stay vigilant for phishing emails and all other attempts of stealing account details and to report any malicious activity

Password Management

Instruct staff to never share their password via SMS or Email

Make two-factor authentication compulsory for all remote employees whenever they have to access a critical application or system

Keep backup codes for times when two-factor authentication doesn’t work (e.g. broadband outages) and ensure that backup codes are stored safely

To avoid scamming, communicate to all employees that you will never call them to reset their passwords

Mobile Devices

Implement hardware encryption for all mobile devices wherever possible, otherwise implement software encryption

Ensure full disk encryption in all mobile devices

If an employee is using personal device, remind them to never download an untrusted application

Communicate to all staff to regularly update their device software and create backups

Operations

Update firewall rules and VPN profiles to confirm that all employees have been assigned the right privileges according to their job roles

Disable split tunnelling for all VPN profiles so that remote staff are unable to have direct access to internet from their devices while they use VPN to access organisation’s corporate information systems

Create a group where employees can share info on malicious activity with everyone, such as phishing emails

Online Calls and Meetings

Educate your staff to not sit close to any smart devices such as Google Home or Alexa while discussing confidential information during calls

All employees should mute their mics when they are not speaking

Remind the employees to always keep their machines locked while they are taking a phone call, especially in a public place

Communicate and remind employees to only use approved video and audio-conferencing apps that are password protected

Cameras and mics should be switched off by default, and turned on when required

A participant that is kicked out must not be able to join back in

Before starting a conference, confirm and check the identity of all attendees

Remind all employees to close the application after the conference call ends

Employee Reminders

Create security awareness training tailored to remote working situations which prompt and remind the employees to:

Detect and avoid potential phishing threats, such as coronavirus scam emails

Use secured WiFi in public and at homes

Remind employees to never save their credit card details when making personal or official online transactions

Never use official devices for personal emails, social media and file sharing apps without prior approval

Save and secure all necessary printouts and discard unneeded documents by shredding

Never copy work-related files to their personal devices such as laptops or external hard disks

Store all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health Information (PHI) of customers in corporate (secured) data center storage or approved cloud storage service instead of storing them locally

Avoid using removable storage such as flash drives

The above checklist of security recommendations for a remote workforce can ensure that companies work securely and productively during this challenging time. Luckily, it’s not a very complicated process and with a little practice and vigilance, organisations can ensure that their employees maintain good online hygiene to protect the privacy of their information assets whilst working remotely.

Guest post by David Smith - a cryptographer with 12 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. He is currently working on his second startup (currently in stealth mode) that will track and interpret the use of contactless payments in the Greater China region. His expertise includes system design and implementation with contact and contactless smart cards, smart card personalization, mobile payments, and general knowledge and experience with APAC market trends and consumer preferences.

We are operating in an era of expansive cyber-security breaches within both government and non-government organisations. As such, we must continue to build business resilience in the face of constant attacks. Failure to stay ahead of the curve will lead to major losses in the business environment and significant security risks for the country at large.

Having worked with government security agencies and the local business community, we’ve seen first-hand what happens when you don’t have a resilient security system. And we’ve seen the advances and business growth that are possible when you do. That’s why we are strong advocates for improving business resilience to counter the threats we face daily.

Business Cyber-Resilience Matters Now More Than Ever

In our post on the state of cybercrime in the UK, we highlighted the losses – in the billions – that companies in the UK faced from cybercrime. We also looked at the state of readiness report of UK firms to tackle cybercrimes. Given the results of the Hiscox 2019 Cyber Readiness Report, it’s isn’t unexpected the level of cybercrimes currently facing the UK.

In fact, cyber-security breaches hit record highs in the UK’s defence industry (Sky News). According to the National Cyber Security Centre, the government agency handled over 600 cyberattack incidents in 2019. They also provided support to nearly 900 organisations affected by cyber security issues. And this figure does not include affected companies and agencies that chose to address the issues themselves or via a security consultant.

What does this mean? Bluntly, you could be the victim of a cyberattack at any time. The secret to staying the course is being resilient enough to continue to function even amid the crisis.

So, ask yourself these two questions:

• How confident are you that mission-critical functions can be carried out if your systems were attacked?

• How quickly can you recover to a minimum-viable operational state?

That’s what it means to build a resilient business - if your system is compromised, you need to know it will still function and can respond quickly. An agile security system helps you to withstand and respond to the pressures of the cyber ecosystem.

Navigating Cyber Security Breaches for a Resilient Business

As a CISO in charge of reducing risks and improving resilience to online attacks, you need to get the organisation behind you. Achieving business resilience in today’s cyber ecosystem requires you to focus on measures you can take on your own, and with other business partners to increase security. It’s about building a proactive system instead of simply reacting to cyber issues.

Building a cyber-resilient architecture allows you to respond to the ever-changing threat landscape. It requires incorporating AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies in your organisation. It’s a delicate balance of maintaining legacy infrastructure while building out a security system for the future, not the now.

You need to become cyber resilient. Invest wisely in your security architecture to ensure a better return on investment. Build a system that anticipates issues, one that uses strategic threat intelligence and improves readiness.

At Attomus, we help businesses and government agencies craft their agile security and risk plan. We work together to improve company resilience and drive business growth with more than just cyber security. Then, we implement the required security technologies for improved efficiency and effectiveness.

Let’s talk about strategies to increase business resilience as we move into a post-COVID world.

How can you streamline your systems to innovate and differentiate yourself in this global marketplace to protect critical systems, data, and assets?