Is the efficiency of your staff affected by the current Covid-19 pandemic? Are you required to work from home? While doing so, are you aware of being exposed to cyber-attacks such as spam e-mails, unidentified website links or attachments from unknown senders to your mailbox?
Lack of assistance from your office information technology (IT) personnel for long periods of time may result in your electronic devices running on an operating system that is possibly outdated, without the installment of upgraded antivirus software.
Studies have shown that apart from productivity declines of staff who are working from home, the intensity of cyber-attacks is rising at an alarming rate.
Here are some cybercrime statistics:
- The Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) registered a total of RM247 million losses in 2020;
- MyCERT (Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team) reported a total of 8,366 incidents of cybercrime from January to September 2020;
- CyberSecurity Malaysia also reported a total of 5,697 casesduring the period of January to August 2020, a jump of 22% compared to the same period in 2019.
These cybercrimes occurred mostly in urban areas that have high-speed connectivity, with the common cases being malware, phishing, fraud, cyber intrusions, hacking attempts and email spamming.
Do you think there is a pressing need to take proactive steps to tackle these crimes?
Do you think your company’s network and data systems are future-proof with preventive measures in place to mitigate cyberthreats?
To create a relatively safe cybersecurity environment, business leaders in a company need to build a strong ‘security culture’. What is ‘security culture?’ It is a culture nurtured strategically to deter cybercrime, in view of the rapid rise in cyberthreats, especially during this pandemic. Decision makers at the top level of management in an organisation must lead by example and internalise among employees the importance of fostering a Cybersecurity Culture.
To create a relatively safe cybersecurity environment, business leaders in a company need to build a strong ‘security culture’. What is ‘security culture?’ It is a culture nurtured strategically to deter cybercrime, in view of the rapid rise in cyberthreats, especially during this pandemic. Decision makers at the top level of management in an organisation must lead by example and internalise among employees the importance of fostering a Cybersecurity Culture.
Fostering a healthy security culture
disruptive to the organisation and deliberate with actions to foster change and better security;
: engaging and fun, so as to encourage participation from employees;
: rewarding for employees to invest their effort and time;
: provide a return on investment, so that employees will get a multiple of the effort invested.
Instill and inspire that security belongs to anyone and everyone within organisation
: top management will need to instill from the executive staff to management leaders that everyone is part of the security solution;
: create programmes and awareness for departments, roles by regions and location for employees, emphasising that cybersecurity is part of company culture.
Emphasis on awareness of cybercrime and beyond
: be creative in awareness efforts and programmes;
: step up efforts on the need for application of security knowledge and hold employees accountable for decisions made after acquiring the knowledge.
Build and improve a security community
: bring everyone together against the common problem, instilling an ‘us versus them’mindset.
Make security fun and engaging
: involve your employee community through lively presentations and activities such as games of security trivia, or re-enactment of ‘hacking scenarios’, generating interest and awareness, whilst engaging your teammates.
The Top administration in organisations must adopt the right approach in mitigating cyber-risks and countering cybercrimes, especially during this unprecedented time. Cyberthreats can be managed effectively when tackled by teams, to help businesses secure their systems and avoid disruptions.
Most cyber-attacks can be accurately assessed with strong initiatives in cybersecurity leadership within a commercial enterprise. This awareness from the TOP management will help to ensure safe online transactions, prevent financial losses, and preserve the trust of customers, suppliers, as well as employee satisfaction.
The TOP management should implement effective cybersecurity policies to determine the risks of cyberthreats and prevent cyber-attacks. Managers must be aware that continuous monitoring and checking are key to ensure sustainable risk management.
Preventing data breaches, malware, phishing scams and hacking incidences are no longer the responsibility of an IT department or executive. It starts with the TOP management of organisations playing vital roles to educate their staffs and share cybersecurity concerns with employees to prevent losses in business revenues.