When most businesses think about cyber security in Essex, they picture firewalls blocking external hackers and antivirus software catching malware. While these traditional defences remain important, the emerging cyber security threats of today are increasingly sophisticated – and often come from unexpected directions.
Emerging Cyber Security Threats: The Inside Job
External attacks grab headlines, but some of the biggest risks to cyber security might be sitting right in your office. Not through malicious intent, but through everyday working practices that create security gaps.
Assuming Trust
Take Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), for instance. Although it’s a crucial security measure, many businesses in Essex assume it’s enough on its own. However, without proper access control policies, MFA won’t flag when employees log in from unusual locations, at odd hours, or attempt to access information unrelated to their role. These could be early warning signs of a compromised account that your traditional security measures might miss.
Enabling Flexibility
The rise of remote work has introduced another layer of complexity to cyber defences for businesses. With Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies becoming commonplace, businesses face new challenges in protecting company data across personal devices. These endpoints often fall outside traditional security perimeters, creating blind spots in your protection strategy that could be exploited by cybercriminals.
Embracing the Future
With AI-driven tools cropping up everywhere you look, your employees might be tempted to explore potential productivity boosters like ChatGPT. They’re only trying to improve efficiency – but they could unknowingly expose sensitive data in the process.
Imagine an HR manager uploading a payroll spreadsheet to an AI analysis tool using their personal account. Suddenly, confidential employee data exists outside of your security controls, potentially accessible to anyone who compromises that service. And, if they use a shared login, then anyone on the team could find this information in the chat history – and so could hackers, if they manage to infiltrate just one user’s account.
The Supply Chain’s Role in Cyber Security in Essex
Now that we’ve looked inside, let’s turn our attention outward. Perhaps the most overlooked of emerging cyber security threats are supply chain attacks. Cybercriminals increasingly target smaller businesses because they tend to have weaker defences. But they can also use them as gateways to other poorly defended organisations, too.
Your SME might have strong cyber defences in place, but what about your suppliers? They’ve been given permission to access your data, networks, applications, and so on. If a hacker penetrates their defences, they’ll have access to this information, too.
Let’s say your trusted accounting software provider suffers a breach. Because they have legitimate access to your financial data, attackers can now potentially access your sensitive information – without triggering traditional security alerts.
In a 2024 survey of 2,000 UK organisations, the government found that less than one in five small businesses review the risks posed by their immediate suppliers, with just 8% examining their wider supply chain. There’s a big opportunity for cybercriminals – and a massive need for businesses to start looking beyond their own walls when it comes to cyber security in Essex.
Why Traditional Security Falls Short
Standard security tools often operate on a “known threat” basis. They look for recognised patterns of malicious activity before flagging something as suspicious. Emerging cyber security threats, however, are more subtle:
- They might use legitimate access credentials
- They could come through trusted software updates
- They often exploit normal business processes
- They frequently involve human behaviour that technology alone can’t detect
So, what can you do?
The Better Approach to Cyber Defences for Businesses
Protecting against these evolving threats requires a multi-layered strategy.
Intelligent Monitoring
While we’ve highlighted AI’s risks, it’s also increasingly becoming part of the solution. Modern security tools employing machine learning can detect unusual patterns in user behaviour, flagging potential threats that traditional systems miss. These tools work 24/7, ensuring that suspicious activity doesn’t go unnoticed just because it happens outside office hours.
You might like: AI in Cyber Security: A New Era of Protection – Virtual IT UK
Ensuring Supply Chain Security
According to the 2024 Cyber Security Breaches Survey, ‘organisations have an increasing awareness of the cyber security risks posed by supply chains but often have limited formal procedures in place to manage these risks.’ Talking to the experts about establishing those procedures and implementing them effectively is the key first stage to improving cyber defences for businesses.
Then, you’ll need to monitor suppliers – it’s not enough to only ask about their cyber security policies when you sign on with them. Don’t feel uncomfortable starting a conversation about cyber security with your longstanding suppliers, and make sure their obligations are outlined in your contracts with them. Even better if you require evidence that they’re continuing to follow those procedures, instead of just taking them at their word.
The National Cyber Security Centre has some especially useful guidance around managing supply chain security. The 12 principles they outline here make for a useful starting point.
Improving Employee Training and Tools
Ultimately, emerging cyber threats mean you need to be more proactive about defending your business than you have been up until now.
Your internal approach to cyber security must include:
- Clear policies about acceptable software use
- Regular security awareness training
- Secure alternatives to popular consumer apps
- Proper access controls and monitoring
Let IT Support in Essex Help You Take Action
Protecting against these modern threats doesn’t mean you need to become a cyber security expert yourself. Instead, consider partnering with IT providers who understand these emerging cyber security threats and can help implement appropriate defences.
Look for providers who:
- Offer proactive monitoring rather than just reactive support
- Understand both technical and human aspects of security
- Stay current with security trends and defence strategies
- Can help establish and maintain supply chain security protocols
The Bottom Line
Today, cyber defences for businesses need to look both inward and outward. While traditional security measures remain important, they’re no longer enough on their own. By understanding and preparing for these emerging threats, your business can build resilience against both current and future security challenges.
Virtual IT: IT Services and Digital Transformation Partners with A Cyber Security-First Approach
We’re partners with hundreds of businesses and schools across London, Essex, and Hertfordshire. We help them to profitably and sustainably grow with exceptional, secure-by-design IT services and solutions, delivered by a team of dedicated experts that you can count on.
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