14/02/17

Fighting to Maintain Cyber Security

Fighting_to_Maintain_Cyber_SecurityAs our
reliance on IT continues to grow so does the need to keep our computer systems
safe from the increasing number of hackers and fraudsters wanting to benefit
from the efforts of others.

The Queen
has now officially opened the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in London
which is designed to improve Britain’s resilience to attacks and act as an
operational nerve centre.

But with the
UK facing about 60 serious cyber attacks a month protection also needs to start
at home!

There is
always someone out there willing to take advantage of any area of vulnerability
within IT systems and steal, sell-on or spy on the various confidential
information that we believe is locked safely away.

We at Network
Support Solutions believe this information is sacred and should remain so. We
have a wealth of experience in the industry and are committed to helping fight
those who have scant regard for the health and welfare of those individuals and
companies they choose to target.

The new
Government-backed and industry supported scheme Cyber Essentials has been
launched in a bid to make life harder for those bent on obtaining information
which does not belong to them.

It aims to
help businesses, and other organisations, protect themselves from the threat of
cyber attacks.

Network
Support Solutions fully endorse the scheme and while we acknowledge that no
steps, however well constructed, can give 100 per cent protection, there is no
doubt in our mind that Cyber Essentials is a very good way to begin.

Many cyber
attacks can be prevented by using freely available software and techniques
through the Cyber Essentials five targeted areas: Using boundary firewalls,
secure configuration, restricting user access, introducing anti-virus software
and updating software.

The Cyber
Essentials questionnaire is free for businesses and other organisations to
download and this can be followed up with two levels of independent assessment.

Cyber
Essentials: The lower level of certification involves a small fee and follows
completion of the questionnaire and independent verification.

Cyber
Essentials Plus has an additional cost but comes with a higher degree of
safety. The five targeted areas are tested by the Certification Body to ensure
they are working correctly.

The scheme
helps to highlight problem areas and allows organisations to display the Cyber
Essentials badge. This shows all relevant parties how seriously it takes its
cyber security by adopting a higher level of protection.

For more
about Cyber Essentials, visit the website www.gov.uk or email us at katy@networksupportsolutions.co.uk.