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Cybersecurity should be a priority for every company

Companies want to take advantage of the increased efficiencies, high flexibility and cutting-edge innovation that digitisation brings. However, to their detriment, many companies have not taken the threat of internet-based attacks seriously enough. An incident involving malware or ransomware can halt business within minutes, and cost an organisation thousands of dollars to rectify. And the reputational damage of an IT security breach, especially if it involves personal customer data, is devastating. 

Cybersecurity and digitisation are two sides of the same coin 

With increased digitisation, there is a potential increase in the opportunities for cyber attacks. That’s why every company needs to take cybersecurity seriously and invest in measures to defend both their physical and intellectual property. To guarantee the best possible level of protection, digital security should be “built in” to every product, underlying business processes and at every organizational level, including global supply chains. By creating effective, secure barriers against threats and attacks, companies can win the battle against cyber risks.

The overall message is simple: Investing in cybersecurity gives organisations a competitive advantage and enables them to be market leaders in their respective industries.

Why invest in cybersecurity?

Companies cannot just rely on the basic level security tools delivered with IT infrastructure and software. Today, cyber attacks are more sophisticated, targeted and effective than ever before. A holistic and overarching approach is the needed to ensure the highest levels of cybersecurity; an approach that not only secures physical infrastructure, IT hardware, and applications, but also educates and empowers employees to ensure any cybersecurity threats are minimised or even eliminated.

Investing in cybersecurity infrastructure, having corporate cybersecurity policies and certification, as well as promoting employee awareness, allows companies to proactively minimise threats. By protecting customer data, corporate intellectual property and essential infrastructure, companies can plan the digitisation of their business with confidence and take full advantage of the opportunities that await.

Cybersecurity specifically tailored to your industry needs

TÜV SÜD’s experts are specialists in cybersecurity assessment, training, audit, and certification. With our experts' knowledge, they are here to consult and recommend. From cyber risk assessments and cybersecurity training, to carrying out security certification projects, our industry experts have successfully helped companies to improve their cybersecurity. With a structured approach to cybersecurity services developed from many years of experience, domain specific know-how and regulatory expertise, TÜV SÜD offers support to companies across a range of sectors. By helping organisations with compliance to global security standards, TÜV SÜD has ensured our clients have access to markets across the world.

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What is CyberSECURITY?

Cyber attacks can target different areas of a company – from physical infrastructure to IT hardware/software and even users themselves. Their aim is to take over and disrupt business processes, or steal corporate or personal data. Cybersecurity minimises or eliminates these threats using a selection of techniques including security software, intrusion and threat monitoring, access control and firewalls, and user awareness training.

1. WHAT THREATS DOES CYBERSECURITY GUARD AGAINST?

• Threats to infrastructure
  Critical infrastructure, such as power generation, transport and telecommunications used to be stand-alone systems. Nowadays, they are more interconnected than ever and rely on a network of internet connections, servers and devices. The same is true of industrial infrastructure, such as production lines and distribution networks. By opening up infrastructure to take advantage of remote access/control and real-time monitoring through industrial control systems, companies are an easier target for DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. Such attacks flood a server or network with unwanted internet traffic, which overwhelms the service and takes it offline.

• Threats to corporate hardware and applications
  Nearly every device in a modern office is connected to the corporate IT network – servers, PCs, laptops, mobile devices, printers, photocopiers, telephones. Even the most innocuous piece of hardware is open to a cyber attack and, once breached, might  allow hackers to access critical systems. What’s more, despite extensive pre-release testing, software vulnerabilities are common place. If patches and updates are not installed regularly, hackers can take advantage of backdoor access to applications, easily taking over and reprogramming systems.

• Threats to users and data
  Most users easily identify emails offering them untold riches as spam – and usually ignore the temptation. However, what happens when an email arrives that appears to come from the HR Department with a request to download a file? Or a message is received from a potential client with a link to a website? These messages may be security threats containing hidden spyware, malware or computer worms. The intruders quietly replicate themselves over the network, slowing down resources, modifying or deleting files or even relaying data off site. But threats to data are not only confined to cyber attacks on a network. Loss or theft of unencrypted USB drives, unauthorised access to laptops or mobile devices when users are travelling, or sending an email containing data to the wrong person can all result in a damaging data breach. 

2. WHO IS BEHIND CYBER ATTACKS?

Those behind cyber attacks are difficult to identify personally. A hacker’s aim is usually to disable networks, take websites offline or access sensitive data. Sometimes, hackers are motivated by personal gain; ransomware attacks, for example, block access to a computer or network which can only be released after a payment (ransom) has been made. Other times, hackers are driven by social change or a political cause and classify their activities as “hacktivism”, a type of online protest or civil disobedience.

3. HOW DOES CYBERSECURITY PREVENT ATTACKS?

It is very important that any connected system or device has a good level of cybersecurity to defend against any malicious actor trying to gain unauthorised access. Weak cybersecurity resilience can leave systems vulnerable to attack with consequences which could include loss of service, financial loss or even threats to personal safety.

Good Cybersecurity provisioning is the first line of defence against attack and varies greatly in its form depending on the type of threat. Below are some examples of cybersecurity in practice

• Human Factor – A company must have a robust employee cybersecurity training program to ensure employees can recognise potential threats
• Keeping Software Update – Ensure that regular software updates are supported
• Secure by Design – Ensuring that cybersecurity is designed in by default in systems, devices and software
• Testing and Auditing – Cybersecurity threats never go away, therefore cybersecurity resilience should be continually checked and verified by testing to available standards and bespoke programs.
• Certification – Demonstrate a mature cybersecurity approach by attaining industry specific professional certification
• Threat Modelling – It is important to understand where the vulnerabilities lie, so each system should be individually assessed

OUR TOP 5 CYBERSECURITY TIPS

Here are 5 simple cybersecurity tips which you can action today to make your company more secure from cyber attacks

Frequently Asked Questions