2018: Not the year for cybersecurity best practices

As 2018 shows, years of targeted hacks, epic heists, and run of the mill data breaches have not made organisations much wiser about the importance of strong cybersecurity.

In 2018, data breaches compromised the personal information of millions of people around the world.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has led an investigation into NHS response to the WannaCry hack in May this year, which was the most widespread to hit the healthcare service.

According to investigation the the attack led to disruption in at least 34% of trusts in England although the Department and NHS England do not know the full extent of the disruption.

In its first 12 months UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has prevented thousands of attacks, more than half of which were classed as “significant”, according to the organization's annual report.

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) released an updated edition of its “Director’s Handbook on Cyber-Risk Oversight.” The Handbook is part of the NACD’s Director Handbook series, which reports and comments on widespread governance practices to help directors discharge their duties appropriately.

The 2017 edition improves on the previous version by clarifying several points for board directors to help them understand the strategic importance of cyber risks and the complexity of threats.

The European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop state of the art cyber security regulation, practices & standards for the electricity transmission system.

ENCS will provide its expertise with technical information and support on cybersecurity issues, while share insights into the European transmission system and the challenges faced by its operators.

According to UK Government research, 74% of small firms in the UK experienced a cyber security breach last year, and 90% of large firms were also targeted. Some incidents caused millions in damages.

This guide is for SMEs and small IT teams in public administrations as a first step to understanding the essentials of cyber risks and how to manage them effectively.

The British Chambers of Commerce surveyed more than 1000 business people from all regions of the UK online in January 2017 to understand how cybercrime is impacting on UK businesses.

The results show that one in five businesses (20%) have fallen victim to a cyber-attack in the past year. Big businesses are far more likely than their smaller counterparts to be victims of attacks (42% of companies with more than 100 staff, compared to 18% of companies with fewer than 99 employees).