Cybercrime is always on the rise, spurred on by advances in artificial intelligence and helped by a general lack of awareness. October has been made Cyber Security Awareness Month, a time to stop your security measures from stagnating. Brimstone’s cyber security strategies are prepared for cyber attacks, with all of our important information protected by in-depth measures, certified by the government-backed Cyber Essentials scheme.

The Cost Of Cybercrime

Governments around the world are dedicated to fighting cyber attacks, beginning with Cyber Security Awareness Month, initiated by the US Department of Homeland Security as a not-so-subtle hint that cybercrime was dangerous. In 2014, the Cyber Essentials scheme was launched with UK government backing, with strict regulations to certify businesses as safe.

Government investment should come as no surprise, as cyber attacks occur so frequently. They often incur massive damage, targeting everything from finances to personal information, reputation to physical security. In 2021-2022, 39% of UK businesses identified as having suffered a cyber attack. Businesses lost an average £4,200 per attack, threatening the country’s economic health.

These incessant cyber attacks pose a real risk to companies and individuals, showing that they need some kind of armour to protect against this onslaught.

The Cyber Essentials Scheme

Simply put, the Cyber Essentials scheme is a list of cyber security requirements a business needs to meet before they can receive a certificate. The scheme ensures that the company is protected against the majority of attacks, most of which are relatively basic but can turn your business into a target if one of said basic attacks were to succeed.

The Cyber Essentials scheme awards the business with one of two badges, with the first Cyber Essentials badge based on self-assessment. With a provided readiness toolkit, the participant can create a personal action plan to guide them towards meeting the requirements. This might focus on installing anti-malware software, a vital part of any cyber security as it scans a computer for any sign of suspicious software.

Access controls, secure configuration, firewalls and patch management are all crucial for protecting sensitive information. These measures are indispensable for Brimstone, who are proud to have been Cyber Essentials certified for one year.

Getting Protected

Cyber attacks search for vulnerabilities, inserting themselves into the cracks in the system. This is exactly what the Cyber Essentials scheme aims to prevent, with their standards ensuring that the company can proactively identify and secure any vulnerabilities with effective patch management. Setting up a team of people to monitor all of your systems can highlight any susceptible areas, which they can then remedy by carrying out changes or a series of updates to fix the problem. It sounds simple and as though you should be able to rely on your employees to carry out an update when notified. However, unpatched systems are a leading cause of data breaches, so it’s worth delegating this all-important task to IT experts.

The Cyber Essentials scheme addresses everything from user access to secure configuration to controlling who gets to see what with a series of user access controls. Among these measures are firewalls, which should be installed on every device to proactively protect a much larger amount of data against much more sophisticated attacks. An in-built firewall doesn’t do the job for a business, especially one which handles important data, so a business-grade firewall is necessary to perform your job as Brimstone does – with the utmost care, confidence and professionalism.

Brimstone UXO

Technology has more uses than we could have ever dreamed of, with Brimstone UXO using it to identify unexploded ordnance. Visit our website to find out more or contact us to enquire.

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