Hands up if you’ve ever suffered through workplace training that feels like it was designed for somebody else. I’m willing to bet there’s more than a few of you out there.

Traditional training approaches for topics such as cybersecurity tend to be of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ variety, with little to no consideration towards the requirements of the organisation they’re deployed within. While one set of courses might be required for employees at one company, that same training may be totally unnecessary at another company.

It’s a situation made worse by the importance of cybersecurity training for organisations of all sizes. Weaknesses in their training programme can cause significant problems for businesses. With cyberattacks happening on an increasingly regular basis (up 50% in 2021!), having the most effective cybersecurity training approach can be the deciding factor in whether a major cyberattack is successful or not.

Your organisation is unique, it has different weak spots and vulnerabilities depending on industry and infrastructure. You may have legacy systems that are more likely to have security weaknesses or a high turnover of employees – and newer employees lack experience and training in cybersecurity. In fact, many organisations simply have overly complacent staff, placing them at higher risk of breach.

Other weaknesses include the types of technology solutions that an organisation uses, which can increase the likelihood of being targeted by a cyberattack. For example, companies with e-commerce websites offering online card payments have a higher risk of being targeted as they handle financial data.

As you would imagine, these organisations benefit greatly from our comprehensive PCI-DSS compliance training while people working for the government need more training in areas such as email etiquette.

How Bob’s Business tailors training to your organisation

At Bob’s Business, we believe that training is more than just a box to tick. We believe that a good training programme should build a positive cybersecurity culture that actively protects your organisation from the 90% of breaches that occur as a result of human error.

WIth Bob’s Culture, we deploy our proprietary Human Vulnerability Assessment to make our training as tailored and relevant to your organisation as possible. It’s why Bob’s Culture revolutionises cybersecurity training and, along with our uniquely engaging and entertaining content, why we have industry-high engagement rates.

The Human Vulnerability Assessment uses a Phishing Baseline and Awareness Questionnaire to determine where the weaknesses are within your organisation; your training programme is then tailored around these insights. An organisational analysis call is also arranged, with the relevant personnel, to ensure an in-depth understanding of your organisation and its unique requirements.

This information is then used to develop a more effective training approach that is bespoke to your organisation and will boost cybersecurity protection, through empowered employees who have learnt how they can become the tip of the spear in your organisation’s defence against cyberattacks.

Find out more about how Bob’s Culture can help your organisation to strengthen the specific areas of weakness that cyberattackers will be looking to expose, and turn your employees into the first line of defence.

Nowadays, it’s virtually impossible to find an organisation or sector that hasn’t dramatically changed through digital transformation.

Whether it was the slow creep of technological improvements across your organisation or the pandemic, we’re willing to bet that your data is among the most valuable things you own today.

Naturally, this has changed the way businesses perceive risk and has ensured that the biggest threat to many businesses is a cyberattack on their systems.

Unfortunately, no silver bullet solution guarantees your business will be safe from attacks, but there are measures you can take to reduce the chances of it happening.

Investing in malware protection, network perimeter defences, and patch management can help prevent cyberattacks – as can using a VPN within your business. However, what is a VPN and is it enough to prevent a cyberattack on its own? Join us as we answer your most burning questions.

What is a VPN?

A VPN is a virtual private network that creates a ‘tunnel’ between the user and the internet to encrypt your internet connection. This can prevent cybercriminals from being able to read your internet activity or from being able to view your IP address and location.

There are VPNs designed especially for the needs of businesses, they provide secure connections for both remote access and site-to-site for businesses operating over different offices or branches.

A VPN will protect remote connections from public WiFi, so if employees work from a café, hotel, or airport using the public WiFi, they would not be exposing the business to the same level of threat as using no VPN.

Due to the pandemic, many businesses switched to working from home – a change which may never fully reverse. When employees log onto devices remotely, they usually have fewer security solutions compared to working from the business workplace. This opened opportunities for hackers to compromise security vulnerabilities and steal data.

Now that many businesses are still offering employees the choice to work from home more often, using a VPN is one of the cybersecurity solutions that can help to protect your business from hacking attempts when employees work from home.

Is a VPN enough to prevent cyberattacks?

While using a business VPN will certainly boost your cybersecurity, there are still weak areas that hackers are able to target. As such, a VPN should be used in conjunction with other solutions.

Firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware software, cloud backup software, and SSL certificates on websites provide different layers of protection; but one of the most important ways to protect a business from cyberattacks is to ensure employees have effective cybersecurity training.

Research from Stanford University found that almost 90% of data breaches are a result of human error, with phishing scams and poor password management being common reasons behind the breaches. Hackers are generating increasingly sophisticated scams to target employees, tricking them into clicking dangerous links or sharing sensitive data.

As such, it’s important that employees are provided with high-quality cybersecurity training, with training courses that really engage them and change their behaviour upon receiving suspicious communications.

Bob’s Business is an award-winning training provider that helps keep your business protected from cyberattacks by not only providing employees with the knowledge to identify cyberattacks, but also the necessary skills to prevent them.

Find out more about our range of interactive training courses or speak to one of our cybersecurity experts today.

Once upon a time, it seemed like it was only big corporations who were vulnerable to hacking attacks. 

Today, 30,000 websites are targeted daily and 64% of businesses globally have experienced some attack. 

Unfortunately, most businesses find out they’ve been breached when the harm has already been done, losing them valuable data and money. 

But how do you know whether your website had been hacked, and how do you prevent further intrusions? Join us as we share everything you need to know.

What are the most common causes of a website breach?

A website can be compromised in a variety of ways, but while a breach may be difficult to detect, at times it may be obvious to others.

These are the most common causes of website breaches:

• Falling victim to a phishing email
• Inadequate computer/device security
• Third-party plugins/widgets are compromised
•  Hacking attacks through a shared server
•  Vulnerabilities in the application
• Inadequate website security
• Weak or stolen passwords
• Malware

How to check if your website has been hacked

Worried your website has been hacked following a security alert? Or are you just worried because something doesn’t seem right? In either case, keep your cool. By attempting to solve the problem you are already ahead of the game.

It is in a hacker’s best interests to minimise the symptoms of their attack. A major issue with website breaches is that they can be very common or very strange symptoms, which are tough to spot. Checking your website using a Google search to see what users see on it is the first step in determining whether it has been hacked.

If there is anything unusual occurring, it is a good indication that your website has been hacked. Google will usually detect malware and publish a warning notice on your website, to warn visitors not to use the site. Every week, Google blacklists over 20,000 websites and flags 50,000 websites for malware. Have the meta descriptions on your website changed? This is another indication that it has been hacked. Pages offering a contest or prize, that then encourage the visitor to click a link and provide information, are one of the main tactics used by hackers. Hacks like making spam popups, spam pages, and link redirects are also popular.

How to prevent a breach

Now that we have established the first steps for determining if your site has been hacked, let’s talk about what to do if it has been breached. The best way to prevent a website breach is to install the highest level of security solutions.

Here are some of the most effective website security options:

• SSL certificate

As a minimum, all business websites should have an SSL certificate in order to protect the website. These can be purchased through your web host.

• Regular website updates

When a software update for your website is available you should install it as quickly as possible, because these frequently include bug fixes and other critical security improvements.

• Install anti-malware software

Your website should have anti-malware software that scans your website to check for any malicious attacks. 

• Use difficult passwords

Using passwords that are easy to guess will make your website very vulnerable to attacks, so make sure that you use a password that is difficult to guess, using a mix of character types. Take a look at one of our past blogs to learn how you can create strong passwords hackers won’t be able to cut through.

• Backup regularly

Having regular backups for your website will not prevent an attack, but it will make it much easier to recover your website if you do get hacked.

What else can I do to improve the cybersecurity of my organisation?

Digital security solutions are critical for securing your website, but your employees must also be cyber-aware in order to detect hacking, phishing scams, and other digital dangers.

At Bob’s Business, we offer effective and comprehensive cybersecurity training programmes for your business, helping to reduce the risk of security breaches.   

Book a free consultation with one of our cybersecurity experts to discuss how we can help you reduce risk within your business.

Today, it’s virtually impossible to imagine a sector where digital technologies haven’t led to remarkable improvements in productivity and profits. As such, it’s equally hard to imagine parting ways with those technologies.

It’s a reliance which has become commonplace in industries across the globe, and while there are obvious benefits, it also presents many security risks.

As technology evolves, cybercriminals are increasing the frequency and severity of cyberattacks on businesses. Indeed, new techniques are being developed daily to catch businesses out, with a recent report from CrowdStrike finding that ‘cybersecurity across the globe grew 400% in 2019 and 2020 combined’.

Over 85% of cyberattacks have a human element, whereby the attack takes advantage of human vulnerabilities. This is mainly executed by tricking people into providing data or clicking dangerous links that allow the attacker to penetrate the security systems.

Often, businesses mistakenly rely solely on their IT department or Risk Management Team to protect them from cyberattacks. However, this approach does not always account for individual employees, and businesses can still leave themselves open to being targeted.

It only takes one person to cause a data breach which can have enormous financial and reputational implications for an entire company. Therefore, cybersecurity must be the responsibility of all employees at all levels.

Among cybersecurity professionals, you’ll often hear the virtues of communication extolled, but why? Join us as we explain everything you need to know.

How communication prevents cyberattacks

Communication, in regards to cybersecurity, comes in many flavours. The first, and arguably most important, is training.

Put simply, effective cybersecurity training is essential.

Everyone in your organisation, from the cleaners to the board of directors, has a direct role in protecting the company from cyber-attacks. However, like any form of communication, the wrong approach can torpedo any chance of success.

Cybersecurity training is at its very best when it focuses on making cybersecurity simple and relatable. Short-form training that utilises storytelling will always trump long, dry and technical content.

Alongside regular training, it always pays to reduce staff turnover so that your team can develop a consistent culture of positive cyber risk awareness. If experienced employees are leaving after they have received training and new employees are brought in, it takes time for them to develop adequate knowledge about cyberattacks and to understand their role in preventing them.

The other crucial element of communication in cybersecurity is ensuring employees feel empowered to communicate any attempted attacks or mistakes they make.

Frequently, individuals will hide their mistakes because they’re concerned they’ll be punished for them. In turn, this gives cybercriminals a window in which to wreak their havoc. By building a culture in which employees feel comfortable reporting their mistakes and suspected attacks, your chances of surviving an attack go up dramatically.

Finally, it’s important to note that internal reinforcement communication methods such as intranet posts and videos, email updates, and team briefings can be an integral part of an organisation’s cyber risk management strategy.

At Bob’s Business, we can help you make your cybersecurity training the focus.

With our cyber awareness courses, phishing simulations, and compliance training, we give businesses and their employees the tools needed to protect themselves and your business.

Book a free consultation with one of our cybersecurity experts to boost employee awareness, keeping your business protected from the full range of cyber threats.

Despite being an integral part of modern life, there are still many people (and companies!) who don’t understand the value of cybersecurity. Indeed, even the US Government didn’t consider cybersecurity an issue worthy of a national strategy until around 2003.

In recent years, due to lockdown restrictions, businesses have increased their reliance on technological and digital solutions faster than ever. They have allowed businesses to operate in new ways in order to not only survive but also to thrive. However, they have also created new avenues for attack.

Cybercriminals are adaptable and often ahead of the curve, in a rapidly changing world, they are constantly developing new methods of deception. Just last year, fake NHS emails and texts were sent out by scammers taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because criminals are constantly developing new scams and more sophisticated attacks, businesses must invest more heavily in cybersecurity solutions and processes. But, what does the future hold for cybersecurity?

The future of cybersecurity

Many of us are playing catch-up in the war against cybercrime. Take the increasing problem of ransomware and finding solutions to protect businesses from these attacks, for example, or closing the skills gap within the cybersecurity industry.

The International Data Corporation even estimated that worldwide cybersecurity spending will reach around $175 billion by 2024.

The future of ‘The Cloud’ and Artificial Intelligence

Cloud computing has provided numerous benefits, including cost savings, efficiency, and sustainability. However, because of the large amounts of data and personal information stored, it is another service that cybercriminals are targeting. As cybercrime evolves, it is a service that necessitates ongoing security training and awareness.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will greatly assist in cybersecurity; AI technology can identify threats and patterns much faster than traditional security processes. The downside of AI’s rise is that it is also being used by cybercriminals to help improve their strategies. As a result, as AI is used more in attacks, we can expect to face more severe and frequent cyber threats in the future.

Read our recent blog for more information on the impact of AI on cybersecurity.

But what does this mean for you?

As the world around us continues to advance technologically, we must also remain vigilant and aware of cybersecurity trends.

Human error is one of the top risks that criminals target, so businesses must continue to develop stronger cyber risk management frameworks; this means having highly effective cybersecurity training for all employees.

Regular updates should be included within training solutions to not only incorporate the most recent cyberattack trends but to also raise employees’ awareness of the most pressing cybersecurity concerns that are emerging.

At Bob’s Business, we provide tailored and innovative training products to make sure your employees are armed against the cybersecurity revolution.

Book a free consultation with one of our specialists to discuss your training needs today.

It’s impossible to overstate just how buzz-worthy cryptocurrencies and the blockchain that enable them have become over the last 10 years. From an obscure but promising alternative to fiat currencies to “digital gold”, they have become a controversial mainstay in the financial world.

Over 100 million people are now using cryptocurrency exchanges, with the total value of all cryptocurrencies adding up to almost $2 trillion – although this figure has proven volatile as markets enter a state of flux.

Investing in cryptocurrencies comes with a number of risks beyond mere market fluctuations though, as the security of cryptocurrencies and NFTs have proven to be woefully lacking. Just last year, there was over £11.8 billion worth of stolen crypto, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainanalysis.

So what are the ways in which scammers separate people from their crypto? Join us as we share the facts.

How cybercriminals are stealing crypto

Where there’s money, there are scammers. It’s no different with cryptocurrencies, and the consequences can be financially catastrophic.

One recent hacking incident involved the theft of over £433 million from Poly Network, before all but £25 million was transferred back. There have been many more similar incidents, with Binance losing $41 million to hackers in 2019. Just last week, actor Seth Green had his ‘Bored Ape Yacht Club’ NFT stolen, pausing production on his TV show which utilised the character.

Many online scams target new investors who are keen to hop onboard a particularly hot market.

These scams utilise the fact that cryptocurrencies are still complex and not all investors have an in-depth understanding of how the systems around them work. Due to this general lack of knowledge, investors are more likely to fall for scams that enable cybercriminals to steal their money.

A common type of scam is where scammers pose as celebrities or well-known investors encouraging people to invest in crypto, but once they pay the money they receive no crypto tokens in return.

However, the most common type of attack is good old fashioned phishing. By far the most common attack type across cybersecurity in general, it’s also a popular attack type in crypto scams.

Put simply, phishing attacks involve sending emails purporting to be from legitimate sources, but are in fact from scammers.

An example might be an email that appears to be from your crypto exchange, requiring an update of passwords for security purposes. Once you click through and input your details it’s too late – the scammer has your account and can effortlessly transfer your tokens and NFTs to another wallet.

How to protect yourself and your businesses from crypto scams

With more businesses offering digital currency payment options, and more people investing in the market, reducing the risk of falling victim is a top priority.

With 90% of successful attacks occurring as a result of human error, the only truly effective tool against attacks is education about what the attacks look like and what to do if you think you spot one.

With cybercriminals continuously developing new scams and techniques to penetrate system vulnerabilities and to trick people, it is important that individuals receive regular training to receive updates on the latest methods criminals are using.

That’s why, at Bob’s Business, we have over 50 engaging cybersecurity awareness training modules covering everything from malware to phishing, alongside compliance topics like GDPR and PCI-DSS.

Book your free consultation with a Bob’s Business expert to find out more about our highly effective training solutions.

It goes without saying but, if your business is targeted with a cyberattack, it could cause catastrophic damage. A glance at the morning news will tell you as much.

There are severe consequences for those who fall victim, from financial losses, disruption in productivity, and reputational damage to investigations from regulators. Unfortunately, cyberattacks have become a common occurrence for businesses of all sizes – with two in five UK firms experiencing cybersecurity breaches in the last 12 months.

Some sectors, however, are at greater risk than others. Today, we’re going to share with you the critical statistics around retail’s cybersecurity threat.

Why is retail at risk?

The eCommerce sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, with global eCommerce growth reaching 25.7% in 2020, mainly attributed to the pandemic. Due to the increase in people using eCommerce websites to make online purchases, there is more data, more businesses, and more people for hackers to target than ever before.

Retail is one of the most vulnerable industries due to the high volume of private financial information transferred when customers purchase products. Even retailers’ customers are at risk because of the card payment details and other sensitive information saved to their accounts. It makes it quicker and easier to pay when you shop online, but don’t be surprised if those details end up in the wrong hands.

In many cases, hackers have been able to access this data and sell it on the dark web or use it for credential stuffing, which involves using the same login details across numerous different sites at once.

What are the most common retail cyberattack methods?

As with any sector, cybercriminals use various attack methods to prise data from retail organisations. However, there are some which are particularly common for retail sector institutions, including:

POS (Point-of-Sale) attacks

These attacks involve using malicious malware that steals card payment details when a customer enters them onto a website or uses a till in a store. Typically occurring due to human error or weak security systems, these attacks can scrape the card data of millions of individuals.

Ransomware attacks

Ransomware attacks have become an all-too-common occurrence for retail sector organisations, with just this week seeing KP Snacks fall victim to an attack that has crippled their manufacturing.

These attacks usually begin with social engineering techniques or phishing emails, which encourage unsuspecting members of your team to install malware. From there, hackers can lock down data and systems until a ransom has been paid to remove the block. This often happens to retailers at times of the year when they are particularly busy, to cause as much damage and pressure to pay as possible.

Phishing attacks

Did you know that 90% of breaches start with a phishing email? With 3.4 billion phishing emails sent per day globally, it’s little wonder that it’s such an effective method of attack.

Phishing attacks work by sending seemingly realistic emails, SMS messages or phone calls which are designed to expose private information, like passwords or banking details.

Oftentimes, it only takes one member of a team to fall victim to such an attack to compromise an entire system, highlighting the need for phishing awareness training within every organisation.

Website application attacks

Retail has changed, and so have the methods by which scammers and criminals attempt to steal from you. Website application attacks are where hackers exploit security vulnerabilities on a retailer’s website. Typically, these occur when access is granted by unsecure passwords or your website is running on outdated software.

What should retailers do to prevent cyberattacks?

As high-value targets for cybercriminals, it’s crucial that retailers approach their cybersecurity protections in a holistic manner.

Both hardware and software solutions have a role to play, from investing in high-quality security software like remote back-up and restoration tools, encryption software, alongside firewalls and other automated malware prevention tools.

However, with 90% of breaches occurring due to human error, the most effective way to protect a business from cyberattacks is to provide high-quality cybersecurity training to employees to help develop an internal culture of security-focused people.

How Bob’s Business helps retail sector organisations

Bob’s Business is a leading cybersecurity awareness training provider that uses innovative e-learning strategies, engaging animations and storytelling to industry-leading engagement rates of over 95%.

Our training solutions help retailers, and a wide range of businesses from other industries, to protect their business by empowering employees with the skills and knowledge to prevent cyberattacks. Find out more about our cybersecurity courses today, and you will receive 50% off your first year with Bob’s Culture.

The rapid advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer for a huge variety of sectors from technology to healthcare, helping companies make giant leaps and greater understand their customers.

Whilst AI will continue to add great value to businesses in the future, like any other technology, its use can also have a negative impact on the cybersecurity of businesses.

How, you ask? Well, join us as we explain how the rise of AI will impact cybersecurity.

How AI is assisting hackers

One of the key risks to businesses is that hackers are now able to use AI to improve their malware and develop more advanced attacks. Hackers can quickly learn information about vulnerabilities by testing large amounts of random inputs through AI-assisted automation, enabling multiple simultaneous attacks.

Hackers can also utilise AI to exploit flaws in security systems much faster, which is naturally a major concern for businesses of all sizes. These flaws can be easily exploited and used to launch large-scale denial-of-service or ransomware attacks.

Just last year, European media retailer MediaMarkt was hit by a Hive ransomware attack. The ransom to regain control is thought to have been $50 million.

Why AI is becoming more important to businesses

AI enables businesses to automate tasks, reduce human workload and streamline processes. Workforce shortages can often be resolved by automating tasks, businesses can also reduce payroll costs because fewer employees are required when work is completed by automation tools.

Additionally, AI can also improve cybersecurity by alerting businesses of unusual, or suspicious activity. A wide range of AI-based systems have been developed to provide greater cybersecurity protection, including vulnerability management, phishing detection and automatic network security monitoring.

AI can even be used to gather data and identify any patterns that indicate any unusual activity that requires investigation. It is now possible to predict what hackers will do based on their previous actions, to then put relevant security solutions into place to defend against the predicted attack.

AI is also used to monitor key data centre processes, such as backup power and power consumption, alerting the necessary personnel when there is an issue that could affect security.

The use of AI is also useful in authenticity detection and password protection. AI helps to prevent unauthorised parties from compromising password vulnerabilities by flagging weak passwords in addition to identifying unusual user details, such as location.

Machine learning can also enable security systems to learn from past successful security attacks alongside thwarted attack attempts; this reduces incident response times, helping to minimise any business disruption.

Through advances in the capabilities of AI, many businesses will benefit from a more proactive approach to cybersecurity. AI can detect threats in advance rather than reacting when an attack has already happened, limiting financial and reputational damage.

Conclusion

While AI can be used in a negative way by hackers who use it to exploit business systems, developments in AI are also driving major cybersecurity improvements.

Unfortunately, the war against cyber threats is a constant, growing problem around the world. Cybercriminals will continue to utilise AI in new ways to design more sophisticated attacks.

Businesses should prioritise training employees to be more knowledgeable about cyber-attacks as well as how to prevent them; because many types of cyber-attacks target employees, rather than just looking for system vulnerabilities.

Training should be implemented to not only educate employees but to also develop a culture of information security within an organisation to provide a higher level of defence against cyber-threats.

Bob’s Business is an industry-leading training provider, specialising in cybersecurity training solutions. With our award-winning phishing simulations, we instil effective behavioural change within employees, enabling them to actively combat attacks and contribute to your business’ level of defence.

We have years of experience developing bespoke training programmes developed around specific industry risks, from government to retail.

Click here to find out more about the training courses we provide to help drive culture change and reduce your level of risk.

With businesses across every sector inviting greater digitisation into their processes and growing more reliant on technological systems to sell products, offer services and store data the level of disruption a cyberattack can cause is constant.

eCommerce revenue has grown by over £5.3bn in the UK, largely as a result of the pandemic. Sectors such as finance have launched additional online services to help customers safely make transactions and use other banking services. This increased use of technology solutions, as well as website and app usage, provides opportunities for cyber attackers to steal data or use other techniques to extract money.

Businesses must have a high-quality security risk management framework in place, incorporating the latest risks and trends that are impacting their industry. Understanding what risks to look out for can help to educate employees to protect the organisation from attacks, although new and more sophisticated techniques are continually being developed.

With that in mind, we’re taking a look at what the top cybersecurity risks of 2022 are, and what steps you need to take to secure your organisation. Let’s get started.

What are the top cybersecurity risks in 2022?

Ransomware

Ransomware was the top threat in 2021, with high-profile incidents such as the Colonial Pipeline attack, where hackers demanded $4.4m in ransom after shutting down the company’s digital systems.

Ransomware attacks can affect businesses of all sizes because criminals rely on human error to infect systems. Some companies think up-to-date firewalls and a comprehensive backup system is enough to protect them from data loss.

Whilst a comprehensive backup system can sometimes protect an organisation from data loss, the main way to protect against this is to ensure employees are trained to recognise an attack and avoid clicking on unsafe links.

Cloud attacks

Cloud-based technology has helped businesses to operate easily over multiple locations, support a remote working model, as well as access systems and data from anywhere in the world.

However, attackers are targeting vulnerabilities in cloud services – a fact reinforced by studies showing that 79% of companies have experienced at least one cloud data breach in the past 18 months. Needless to say, this is a growing concern in 2022.

Phishing

Phishing attacks have long been the #1 element behind successful breaches, and that’s no different in 2022.

Attackers have used the continual uncertainty of the pandemic to take advantage of individuals. For example, cybercriminals are claiming to be from the NHS and requesting payments for vaccinations or tests.

There are thousands of examples of scams, but the vast majority can be spotted and stopped before they do harm. Effective training can dramatically reduce click rates on phishing attempts – like Bob’s Culture, which cuts link clicks by 21% and phishing open rates by 29%.

What steps are required to protect from cybersecurity risks in 2022?

Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet to protect businesses from cyber-risks. Organisations must have comprehensive security risk management frameworks in place that include responsibilities for the IT, HR and training departments. While the IT department will need to implement IT security solutions and processes, the responsibility does not stop with them.

The key to a successful risk reduction programme is empowering every employee to play a key role in protecting the organisation. In turn, this creates cultural change to drive more risk awareness and develop risk management behaviours across the whole business, from the exec team to front-line employees.

Bob’s Business can help you to develop an effective security risk management framework through high-quality engaging and innovative cybersecurity training that drives the required culture change.

Find out more about how our unique, award-winning training solutions can protect your business from cyber threats.

It’ll come as no surprise to hear that, today, we’re rarely without some kind of personal computer on our person. Whether it’s a laptop, tablet or smartphone, such devices have become an integral part of our lives. In fact, latest estimates suggest that 87% of the UK population own a smartphone.

No longer are our mobiles solely for making calls, we can now access almost anything we want; all in the palm of our hand.

The ubiquity of these devices means that they’re rarely away from our side, extending the office and allowing us to answer emails, check social media, or take calls any time, anywhere.

Clearly, there are huge advantages for a business to leverage these personal devices, especially in an era when many teams are splitting time between the home and work office. 95% of organisations allow personal devices in the workplace in some shape or form, and it’s easy to understand why.

Many employees prefer to use their own devices due to convenience and remote working. study conducted by Microsoft found that 67% of employees use personal devices for work purposes.

However, there are security risks that come with employees bringing their personal devices into the workplace.

In 2021, research found a 50% increase in corporate cyber attacks per week (2020). This is a statistic that continues to grow as cybercriminals continue to attempt to breach network security and access information systems for financial gain.

Employees who use unsecure personal devices when accessing work information can pose a significant risk to the cyber health of companies. It only takes one unsecured device to give cybercriminals access to an entire network. For example, if an employee downloads a malicious email attachment or visits an infected website on their personal laptop, the entire company network could be compromised.

What potential risks can you face?

Some of the risks organisations can face when unsecured personal devices are used include:

• Company data breaches
• Accessing or downloading unsafe apps or content
• Malware infections
• Unauthorised access to data and systems

However, with the right precautions in place, organisations can allow employees to use their personal devices at work without putting the company network at risk; with many organisations now implementing a ‘BYOD’ policy, but what is this?

What is a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy?

The National Cyber Security Centre defined ‘BYOD’ as ‘the concept of employees using their personally owned device(s) for work purposes’.

With a BYOD policy, organisations have ownership of the accessible data and sensitive information, but the personal device is the property of the employee.

Having a robust BYOD policy is an important factor in keeping company data secure. However, there can be challenges and risks when it comes to BYOD.

Can you mitigate ‘BYOD’ risk?

To mitigate the risks associated with using personal devices in the workplace, there are a few things your organisation can do, such as:

• Having a clear and concise BYOD policy in place, ensuring that all employees adhere to it
• Educating and communicating the risks of BYOD and the importance of a BYOD policy to employees
• Providing employees with guidance on which devices are suitable for work purposes
• Implementing strict security measures, such as two-factor authentication, across every personal and company-owned device in your organisation

In this day and age, it is inevitable that personal devices will be used in the workplace. However, research by Trustlook in 2016 found that only 39% of companies have a formal BYOD policy in place, and 51% of employees received no BYOD training.

This lack of policy and training poses a major security risk to organisations; this is why it is so important that organisations not only increase awareness, but also educate and train employees on cybersecurity.

At Bob’s Business, we build brilliantly effective training programmes for all employees, reducing your risk of data breach. Book a free consultation to discuss how we can help you reduce risk within your organisation.