What does your organisation need to know about cybersecurity to prevent future threats? Here you´ll learn about three major future challenges in cybersecurity, what cybersecurity means, and why it is crucial for your business.
What does cybersecurity mean?
Cybersecurity is about protecting systems, programs, computers, mobile devices, networks, information, and individuals against cyber-attacks, to prevent an organisation or person from getting hindered in work or leisure.
What is a cyber-attack?
A cyber-attack is an electronic attack on a system, program, computer, mobile device, network, or individual. The purpose of a cyber-attack is to gain access to systems and networks to change or destroy information.
Cyber-attacks are usually carried out by criminals for financial gain. It also happens that foreign states and terrorist organisations perform cyber-attacks to spread fear in society, or that hackers attack organisations or companies. It is less common for cyber-attacks to come from groups or individuals seeking excitement.
Today, various forms of cyber-attacks have become increasingly common. For a cyber-attack to be successful, vulnerabilities in systems, programs, computers, mobile devices, networks, or individuals who can be deceived are required.
Organisations must make cyber security part of their preventive risk work, to be able to act quickly on future threats.
3 challenges in cyber security that companies need to know about
1. Digitization moves faster than the developments in cyber security
In the RISE report "Cyberthreat against Sweden" (in swedish), we can read about how the development of cyber security takes too long, compared to the constantly growing digitization of society. In the report "The betrayal of cyber security" (also in swedish), Fores addresses the problem of the rapid pace of digitization and how it increases vulnerability in society.
Many organisations believe that implementing technical solutions is enough to solve problems. But changing the system, installing protection mechanisms, and limiting use are not enough. Employees need to be made aware of their role in cyber security, work processes need to be adapted and great consideration given to legality and appropriateness.
The level of maturity in the organisation is governed by employee awareness of cyber security, what is appropriate, and legal, and which processes are applicable. Only after that comes the importance of which technology can provide additional protection.
Organisations need to become resilient against cyber-attacks to keep up with digital developments.
2. Increase in cyber-attacks
Cyber-attacks against Sweden are increasing, both in number and scope. Today, Russia and China are at the top of the list of states that carry out regular attempts at cyber-attacks against Sweden.
The changing security situation in the world, in connection with the war in Ukraine, has made us increasingly aware of our dependence on digital infrastructure and what the consequences can be if we cannot use our digital systems.
The cyber-attacks not only affect disruptions in society's infrastructure, but they can also aim to create anxiety among citizens and destroy trust in the country's authorities.
All organisations, authorities, municipalities, regions, and companies need to be able to continue their operations during and after a cyber-attack. Continuity management with reserve routines is therefore needed and they need to be practiced and tested.
3. The need for resilience through competence supply
Right now we are in what the EU calls The Digital Decade. Together, we strive to digitize large parts of our infrastructure, a task that requires increased competence in, among other things, cyber security.
Unfortunately, many organisations experience that it is difficult to recruit people with competence in the field. In recent years, the demand for various forms of IT competence has grown faster than the supply.
Organisations need to invest more in finding and further training young talent in areas such as cybersecurity, to secure skills for the future. Therefore, organisations need to approach universities and colleges and collaborate more.
How can organisations work preventively with cyber security?
When we digitize, we need to be aware that we also need to change our working methods, that there will be new and changed rules and laws, and that there will be vulnerabilities that an antagonist can use to carry out cyber-attacks against us.
It is easy to think that we are facing a dystopian future, but the single most important factor in the success of preventive cybersecurity work is the will and willingness of the employees. What we see around us is that most organisations work with some form of risk management, which also includes cyber security.
Support is needed here, and to take preventive security work to the next level, businesses need to create sustainable and efficient work processes.
There are many advantages to gathering all security-related information on a common collaboration surface, for example in a dedicated tool for risk management. Then the work can be easily managed and shared with interested parties, both internal and external.
Proactive risk management with Stratsys
With Stratsys' tool for risk management, you gain a complete overview of matters related to your company's risks, generating insights that help your organisation make more proactive decisions. Contact us today and we'll tell you more.
