Entrepreneurs are taking advantage of more and more opportunities provided by the Internet, pandemic has accelerated the development of remote working tools. Companies are using electronic workflow systems and storing data digitally. How to protect against a cyber attack?
Entrepreneurs are taking advantage of more and more opportunities provided by the Internet, pandemic has accelerated the development of remote working tools. Companies are using electronic workflow systems and storing data digitally. How to protect against a cyber attack?
The digitization of Polish companies is progressing, especially as a result of the pandemic that caused work to move online, and today it is returning in the form of hybrid systems. This situation has translated directly into an increase in cyber threats. According to the VECTO Report "Cyber Security in Polish Companies 2022," nearly 70 percent of Polish companies have experienced data security incidents. The report summarizes the fifth edition of a survey diagnosing the state of awareness of cyber threats and IT security solutions used in Polish companies.
Experts predict that by 2025 the global impact of cyber incidents will cost affected companies and institutions some $10.5 trillion a year. Polish entrepreneurs may also be among them. Some companies in such a situation are forced to go out of business, as the cost of data loss is enormous and the losses irreversible. In contrast, the value of ransomware expected by cybercriminals, according to Webroot Brightcloud Threat, averaged $233,817 globally in 2021, 30 percent higher than in 2020. Data indicating the average value of ransomware paid by Polish companies is unknown. 60 percent of companies surveyed by VECTO confirmed that they would pay a ransom to recover encrypted or stolen data. Most at risk are companies in the banking and medical sectors, as well as public administration.
Invest in security
Cyber security is of great importance to all businesses, including small and medium-sized ones, and applies to all industries. More and more companies are also investing in it. The "Report on the State of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector in Poland 2021" prepared by PARP shows that in 2020. 95 percent of companies had applied IT security measures. Among them were:
- ongoing software updates (83.1 percent),
- Strong password authentication (78 percent),
- Making backup copies of data and transferring them to other locations (61.3 percent).
- Identification and authentication by biometric methods (7.1 percent).
A security audit of the company's system should also be a regular activity
information - according to the aforementioned Report, 28.4 percent of surveyed companies did so in 2020.
Training and awareness raising
Ensuring cyber security requires constantly raising awareness among company employees. In order to effectively protect against threats and attacks by hackers, regular training and reminders of security rules are needed. Of course, systems should detect a cyber attack, but hackers are also coming up with more and more ways to fool network and database monitoring. Every person in the company needs to know how to react in a situation.
Entrepreneurs are no longer in doubt about the importance of cyber security for business, so they are looking for advice and knowledge, as well as companies and services that specialize in this area. Educational materials on video platforms or certified training courses prepared by professionals are available online. SME business owners can also take advantage of support from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development under the PARP Academy. You can also find interesting training courses in the Development Services Database (BUR) run by PARP. They are directed both to participants with public funding and those who cover the costs from their own budget.
Exchange of experience
Potential cyber threats force companies to adopt appropriate practices: internal procedures for responding to crisis situations (predict unpredictable), regular employee training, but also cooperation between companies. One of the effective tools against cyber attacks is the use of joint teams like SOCs ( Security Operations Centers). They are based on modern security technologies and procedures, and have people responsible for quickly detecting threats. Within the SOC teams of an industry, individual participants can exchange knowledge and observations. Then it is definitely easier to catch an attack directed at a particular industry - such as companies in the banking or insurance sectors.
Cyberfachers in demand
Unfortunately, cyber security professionals are still at a premium. There is a huge gap between market needs and the availability of specialists. Estimates put the number of needed workers in this industry at 3.5 million. The number of unfilledcybersecurity positions has increased by 350 percent, from one million positions in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021(source: Cybercrime Magazine, 2022 Cybersecurity Almanac).
B2B services and specialized companies are leading the way - there are more and more such services in Poland. Many of them are developing precisely thanks to grants from European Funds. They offer cyber-security solutions for industrial infrastructure, provide data security services and support 24/7 monitoring of cyber threats. Encryption applications are available on the market to secure the company's workflow.
The ABCs of cyber security:
- Have professionals audit your company's ICT system security
- keep your software up to date
- Identify and authenticate with strong passwords or biometric methods
- make daily backups and transfer them to another location, such as the Banqup cloud
- Prepare a scenario to deal with a cyber attack
- provide adequate recurrent training for employees
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