Basic steps you can take to improve your Cyber Security 

Owen Collar | Head of Cyber Security Audit, inTEC GROUP

There has never been such an important time in history to improve your cyber security. With recommendations from both our own National Cyber Security Centre and the USA to ensure our computer systems are secured and hardened, businesses should be acting now.

Following the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials Standard and IASME Governance scheme can be a great start for increasing your security and procedures across your networks, preventing such an attack of this nature.

We are a Cyber Essentials Certification Body working with IASME and the NCSC. If you would like more information or discuss further, feel free to get in touch.

Following the NCSC’s and the IASME Consortiums 5 technical controls, you can improve your network security to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of a cyber-attack:

1. Access control – Management of access to administrator accounts to control who has access to your data and services. Working all day long as an administrator rather than a standard user exposes your computer to viruses, malware and the unauthorised installation of Ransomware.

2. Secure configuration – Choosing the most secure settings for your devices and software by changing passwords and removing unused accounts and software.

3. Software updates – Protect against vulnerabilities by keeping your devices and applications up to date.

4. Malware protection – Protect against viruses and other malware by using properly configured anti-malware software and only allowing trusted applications.

5. Firewalls and routers – Create a ‘buffer zone’ between your IT network and other external networks so that incoming traffic can be analysed to find out whether it should be allowed onto your network.

Following the Cyber Essentials Scheme has the following advantages:

• Enhanced security – helps protect your organisation from the most common internet based cyberattacks such as phishing, malware, ransomware, password guessing and network attacks.
• Simple and cost-effective – a simple process with Cyber Essential’s certification fee from £300.
• Gain and retain business – an increasing number of public, private and third sector contracts are mandating or actively encouraging Cyber Essentials from their suppliers.
• GDPR – recognised by the Information Commissioner’s Office as a scheme that can provide security assurances that help protect personal data.
• Flexible scheme – regardless of sector or size, the scheme reviews basic, yet effective, technical controls an organisation has in place. The scheme also recognises that not all organisations have a dedicated IT department, or an in-depth knowledge of cyber security.

For further information about our Cyber Security solutions please click here or get in touch today.