British businesses should change drastically up their game when it comes to being prepared and able to effectively deal with cyberattacks, according to Cyber Security Connect UK (CSC UK), an industry forum for cybersecurity professionals.
The call to action comes during European Cyber Security Month, the EU’s annual awareness campaign that takes place each October across Europe and aims to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats, promote cybersecurity among citizens and organisations; and provide resources to educate and share good practices.
According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019, more than a third of UK businesses identified cybersecurity breaches or attacks in the last year. Despite this, only 33 percent admitted to having cybersecurity policies in place. With this in mind, CSC UK is calling for business leaders across Britain to arm themselves with the knowledge and tools required to protect the companies they represent and make adequate plans should the worst happen.
Martin Smith MBE, Cyber Security Connect UK Conference Chair and Chairman of the Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG), said: “We have a duty as cybersecurity professionals to set the highest standards and be prepared to tackle cyberattacks. On top of this, we must continue to push for a greater sharing of knowledge, benchmarking of best practice and ongoing learning so we can remain in the best position possible when it comes to staying ahead of cybercriminals.”
Aurore Domange, event director for Cyber Security Connect UK 2019, added: “European Cyber Security Month is the ideal time to raise awareness of the issues affecting our cyber resilience and educate businesses on how they can mobilise themselves against these challenges to best protect their company, its employees, partners and customers.”
Cyber Security Connect UK takes place from 13-15 November, it will bring together more than 300 top-level cybersecurity professionals to debate strategic cybersecurity issues including cyber resilience, identifying cybercriminals, securing the supply chain and cyber incident management.
