EU Business News August 2017

10 EU BUSINESS NEWS / August 2017 , Two in Three Bosses at Britain’s Biggest Businesses Not Trained to Deal with a Cyber Attack Britain’s top firms and charities urgently need to domore to protect themselves from online threats, according to new government research and a ‘cyber health check’ published on 21st August. Separate new research finds charities are as susceptible to attacks as businesses undertaken in the wake of recent high profile cyber- attacks, the survey of the UK’s biggest 350 companies found more than two thirds of boards had not received training to deal with a cyber incident (68%) despite more than half saying cyber threats were a top risk to their business (54%). One in ten FTSE 350 companies said they operate without a response plan for a cyber incident (10%) and less than a third of boards receive comprehensive cyber risk information (31%). Minister for Digital Matt Hancock said: “We have world leading businesses and a thriving charity sector but recent cyber-attacks have shown the devastating effects of not getting our approach to cyber security right. These new reports show we have a long way to go until all our organisations are adopting best practice and I urge all senior executives to work with the National Cyber Security Centre and take up the government’s advice and training. “Charities must do better to protect the sensitive data they hold and I encourage them to access a tailored programme of support we are developing alongside the Charity Commission and the National Cyber Security Centre.” There has been progress in some areas when compared with last year’s health check, with more than half of company boards now setting out their approach to cyber risks (53% up from 33%) and more than half of businesses having a clear understanding of the impact of a cyber-attack (57% up from 49%). The government is fully committed to defending against cyber threats and a five-year National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) was announced in November 2016, supported by £1.9 billion of transformational investment. This includes opening the National Cyber Security Centre and offering free online advice as well as training schemes to help businesses protect themselves. The 10 Steps to Cyber Security guide sets out a comprehensive framework to help company boards manage cyber risks, from getting the basics right through to protecting their most critical assets, and the Cyber Essentials scheme sets out the technical basics all companies should have in place. The UK government also announced proposals on how to help the nation’s essential industries be more resilient to cyber threats through the NIS Directive. Alex Dewdney, NCSC Director for Engagement, said: “The NCSC is committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to live and do business online. We know that we can’t do this alone – everyone has a part to play. That’s why we’re committed to providing organisations with expert advice through our website and direct engagement. We also urge organisations to follow the guidance in the government’s Cyber Essentials Scheme.” Separate new research looking at the cyber security of charities has also been published. It found charities are just as susceptible to cyber-attacks as businesses, with many staff not well informed about the topic and awareness and knowledge varying considerably across different charities. Other findings show those in charge of cyber security, especially in smaller charities, are often not proactively seeking information and relying on outsourced IT providers to deal with threats. Where charities recognised the importance of cyber security, this was often due to holding personal data on donors or service users, or having trustees and staff with private sector experience of the issue. Charities also recognised those responsible for cyber security need new skills and general awareness among staff needs to raise.