Are you cyber secure?
29 January 2024
Does your business have a robust policy and procedures in place to prevent and recover from cyber attacks?
The UK government believes that such threats represent one of the biggest risks to businesses of all sizes and as damaging to organisations as financial and legal pitfalls, so it is calling for views on a proposed cyber governance code of practice to boost resilience.
A draft code sets out key actions for directors to take to strengthen their resilience and take advantage of digital technologies available.
It recommends that directors set out clear roles and responsibilities across their organisations, boosting protections for customers and safeguarding their ability to operate safely and securely.
A key focus of the Code, designed in partnership with industry directors, cyber and governance experts and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), is making sure companies have detailed plans in place to respond to and recover from any potential cyber incidents. The plan should be regularly tested to ensure it is as robust as possible, with a formal system for reporting incidents also in place.
Organisations are also encouraged to equip employees with adequate skills and awareness of cyber issues so they can work alongside new technologies in confidence.
Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, said: “It is vital the people at the heart of this issue take the lead in shaping how we can improve cyber security in every part of our economy, which is why we want to see industry and business professionals from all walks coming forward to share their views.”
Figures show almost one in three (32%) firms have suffered a cyber breach or attack in the past year, with a rise in damaging ransomware attacks and malicious actors posing significant threats as they look to take advantage of cyber security vulnerabilities.
The government says its Cyber Essentials scheme is helping organisations protect against common attacks, in areas such as effective management of security updates, having suitable anti-virus software and removing default passwords.
Lindy Cameron, National Cyber Security Centre CEO, said: “Cyber security is no longer a niche subject or just the responsibility of the IT department, so it is vital that CEOs and directors understand the risks to their organisation and how to mitigate potential threats.”
The government has also published its response to a call for views on software resilience and security. Software is fundamental to virtually all technology used by businesses, from programmes for managing payroll, to essential operating systems and more advanced and emerging technologies such as AI.
The call for views, which will be open until 19 March 2024, will help ensure this new Code is straightforward to understand and roll out, and will also help to identify any potential barriers organisations could face in bringing it into force.
To read the call for views on the Cyber Governance Code of Practice, click here
Photo: Jefferson Santos/Unsplash
