Cyber protection starts with raising awareness
21 Jun 2023
Did you know that more than 50 percent of cyber attacks are directly or indirectly attributable to human error? Cybercriminals only need one wrong click or action to gain access to your valuable business data. As a company, you therefore have a social responsibility to raise awareness among your employees. Protecting your company against cybercrime starts with continuously raising awareness among your employees about the dangers and potential risks involved.
Read our full dossier via this link.
Cyber awareness at all levels
It is important that the management of your company is made aware of the issue in the first instance. Cyber awareness happens in different stages. When the potential need for cyber insurance is first discussed, management often dismisses its importance. As a business leader, it is then up to you to gather sufficient information. Once awareness has been raised, taking the step towards appropriate cyber insurance is a logical choice.
‘In the past, the entire ICT strategy and dealing with cyber incidents was part of a company's operational activities. But today, company boards are well aware that this can have far-reaching consequences in terms of lost revenue and business continuity, and that this needs to be addressed at the higher level of the board of directors and a real cyber strategy needs to be developed.’ - Xavier Lesseliers
5 steps to minimise the impact of a cyber incident
The first step in the cyber awareness process is to thoroughly inform yourself. Consider, for example, current articles and relevant blogs with concrete tips (1).
It is then important to share this knowledge within your company, at every level, and to make your employees aware of the dangers of cyber incidents and their own role in them (2). This can be done, for example, by sending test emails within your company or by working with a dedicated IT partner.
Of course, it is essential that this awareness goes hand in hand with good security for your company's computer system (3). A good firewall, virus scanner and regular updates are basic requirements. In addition to strong security, it is also important to restrict access to strictly necessary data, to list which licences and licence holders exist within your company and which devices have access to those systems (4).
“Small businesses are often easier prey for cybercriminals because awareness within the company is generally lower and IT security is not always at the same level as in larger companies.” - Xavier Lesseliers
The final important step is to take out cyber insurance (5), because 100% security does not exist. Cyber insurance is essential for the continuity of your business after a cyber incident.
“Ultimately, cyber insurance is the final piece in a whole process where a company has to actively align its strategy to get its IT infrastructure in order, engage in prevention and raise awareness among its employees.” - Xavier Lesseliers
Read our full dossier on cybersecurity via this link.
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