BUSINESS SURVEILLANCE
MIND THE GAP :
FIVE MOST COMMON WEAKNESSES IN A BUSINESS ’ CYBERSECURITY
Victor Lough , Cyber Security & Advanced Digital Services Business Lead , Schneider Electric , points out the common weaknesses in a business ’ defence system and discusses the importance of operating with fully mature cybersecurity .
hen you combine the
W fact that two in five UK businesses have faced cyberattacks over the past year , with the growing accessibility of tools to simplify hacking it ’ s clear why business leaders are concerned about cybersecurity .
Operational cybersecurity vulnerabilities are common across the board . Whether your business is in the financial , industrial , education or power sectors , without proper protection , no industry is exempt from this risk .
Knowing where your systems are vulnerable is the first step to protecting them . To gain these insights , a comprehensive assessment and analysis is needed to reveal the gaps between the current security state and the end-goal of worry-free protection . There are some gaps that crop up in almost every business :
Understanding the threat
Firstly and possibly most obviously , cybersecurity starts with understanding the risks . Communicating current security risks to the entire workforce is a primary step in securing a business , and often the simplest gap to fill in a company ’ s protection .
For example , an increase in remote monitoring and third-party access has also led to a rise in cyber vulnerabilities . The IoT-connected devices that have enabled so many businesses to quickly transition to homeworking bring challenges along with benefits .
These tools have essentially increased the ‘ attack surface ’ for hackers and , in many cases , have acted as an organisation ’ s Achilles ’ heel .
With only 16 % of cybersecurity professionals having more than a week to ensure that remote systems were
Victor Lough , Cyber Security & Advanced Digital Services Business Lead , Schneider Electric
secured before making the shift to remote working , it ’ s fair to say that the preparation for remote access related security threats is far from mature in most cases . However , building an awareness of the current risks is the first step to mitigating them .
Holistic protection
In many cases , people are the first and last lines of protection , so collaboration between teams , including higher management , is essential .
However , a common gap in a business ’ security is caused by a disconnect between teams , particularly between management and operations .
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