cyber security forum

By Gavin Potter Aviva Insurance Ltd

A very informative and comprehensive event held in conjunction with the Institute of Directors who were very welcoming and featuring speakers from Sophos, Regional Organised Crime Unit of the Police, CNA Hardy and Lumina Technologies who each covered a particular area of the increasing threats to Cyber security and the level of work invested to prevent crime.

Some interesting facts are:-

- Cyber crime isn’t just hacking of systems but also includes sophisticated ‘phishing’ emails or malicious webpages designed to replicate genuine emails etc in order to fool users into undertaking acts that would otherwise appear innocuous but are usually fraudulent.
- Between 400,000 and 450,000 new malware cases discovered each day.
- 75% are unique i.e only seen once.
- The organisation of the crime is so advanced that there are hacking companies that offer telephone support for malware use!
- It’s not always multimillions of £ that is targeted but much lower amounts that fall below the radar – companies of shapes and sizes are targeted and public knowledge is very much behind the curve compared to the tactics and capabilities of those involved in Cyber crime.

As an aside and worthy of inclusion was that I was speaking to a friend a day or two after the Cyber event who works for a small company who have an Italian MD and were targeted by an italian sounding person purporting to be the MD using a poor telephone line thus obfuscating the recipient who released £15,000 to the fraudster.

Thanks very much to the speakers on the day and the IoD for hositing.