Cyber attacks it seems, are here to stay. No-one is completely safe, with millions of occurrences reported each year, making dodging the bullet increasing difficult.
Businesses of all shapes and sizes are at risk of a security breach and although they may have procedures in place to deal with them it’s worth reviewing them regularly. Cyber criminals are developing their skills all the time and constantly working to overcome new measures to deter them.
With experts forecasting that attempted information breaches will continue to rise through 201 and beyond, why are they on the increase?
- Cyber criminals are becoming more skilled – Understanding that larger organisations generally have better security measures in place, many attackers now target small and medium sized businesses in order to get to the big guys. Supply chain information can be as useful in targeting larger businesses as hacking into them directly.
- More crimes are being reported – Increasingly, more companies are actually realising that they have been the subject of a breach. In upgrading security, many organisations have uncovered attacks that were hitherto un-noticed.
- Complacency – Many businesses still don’t recognise the importance of properly protecting themselves and are left wide open to attacks. For some, ineffective data destruction processes can leads to information being compromised.
- Lack of training and leadership – In line with a degree of complacency many organisations don’t ensure that staff are properly trained or have the lines of communication in place to effectively manage data protection.
- Insiders – Many cyber attacks, particularly the most costly and damaging ones, are carried out by insiders and opportunists. Despite this many companies still don’t have programme in place to deal with insider security threats.
- Repeat crime – With many crimes being unreported or un-noticed there is great opportunity for re-offenders. People with an understanding of how to instigate attacks are still free to move from business to business wreaking havoc as they go, leaving organisations increasingly vulnerable.
- Skills shortage – The development of experienced security professionals is yet to really take off. The people with the greatest knowledge are generally employed by the bigger organisations meaning that information sharing hasn’t ever properly happened. There is a dearth of professionals available to work in this role.
It’s important to remember that whilst cyber attacks are clearly increasing and, as a result, gaining significant media coverage, security of physical documents and data shouldn’t be overlooked. Secure confidential shredding services provide an important aspect of information security. Take these additional security steps to safeguard your business.
If you’d like to find out more about how call recording or call logging software can help with your data security please don’t hesitate to give us a call; we’d be happy to tell you everything we know – which happens to be rather a lot! Drop us a line on 0333 0022 440, or contact us. We’re here ready to help.