As high-profile data theft incidents continue to rise and become more sophisticated, there is a greater-than-ever need for emerging businesses to take their cybersecurity seriously. So, why do many entrepreneurs and “startup unicorns” consider it the turf of large-scale organizations only, even after some of the world’s largest corporations have fallen prey to cybercrime? Security breaches at so many companies exposed the personal data of millions of Americans.

It should be hard for malicious hackers to break into systems, but all too often it isn’t. That’s a takeaway from a joint cybersecurity advisory issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the NSA and FBI, and their counterparts in Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

Spanish police say that they have dismantled a phishing gang operating across the country, following the arrest of 13 people and the announcement that they are investigating a further seven suspects. According to police, the phishing ring defrauded some 146 victims, stealing at least 443,600 Euros from online bank accounts. Victims were tricked into handing over their login credentials through the distribution of emails that pretended to come from legitimate banks, posing as security alerts.

The UK’s first cybersecurity strategy was launched in 2009 and outlined that whatever the shape of the cybersecurity mission, it made no sense to silo it away from other aspects of national security. To be effective, it had to be able to take advantage of high-grade intelligence and other security capabilities. The strategy outlined how the country needed to invest more in getting the public and private partnership really working.

A recent Facebook post from a family member made me realize that I needed to write about an overused term. A term, that when used, causes chaos and concern. I don’t blame the family member for using it, I’ve seen it used hundreds of times over the past few years and I’ve seen IT and cybersecurity professionals respond without correcting, even, on occasion, offering bad advice.

The first months of 2022 began slowly for privacy, but by the end of the first quarter we had our marching orders for the rest of the year. In the U.S., we saw an explosion of state privacy bills being put forward (again), the Senate utilized a seldom used maneuver to push President Biden’s Federal Trade Commission nominee through to confirmation, and Utah became the fourth state to enact comprehensive privacy legislation.

Have you ever dined in a restaurant with a police officer? When choosing a table, or seating location, law enforcement professionals will often choose the seat that positions them with their back to the wall. This plays out quite humorously when a group of law enforcement professionals dine together, all racing toward that coveted “protected” chair. It’s obvious why this occurs.

Penetration testing is something that more companies and organizations should be considering a necessary expense. I say this because over the years the cost of data breaches and other forms of malicious intrusions and disruptions are getting costlier. Per IBM Security’s “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021,” the average cost of a breach has increased 10% year over year, with the healthcare sector having the highest cost breaches for 11 consecutive years.

Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and devastating, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). With ransom demands rising and the cost of data breaches soaring, businesses are investing heavily in building their cyber defenses. However, cybersecurity is not bullet-proof. Buying a cyber risk insurance program can help outsource residual risk, and deploying multi-factor authentication is a prerequisite not only for getting coverage but also for lowering premiums.

Compliance is a key part of any organisation and in business terms, it is about ensuring companies of all sizes and their employees comply with existing national and international laws. In the UK the Companies Act 2006 is the main legislation that forms the primary source of company law and businesses of all sizes must ensure they adhere to it to remain compliant.