A Leeds based managed services provider, is using the 12 days of Christmas as a way of educating businesses about the risks posed by cyber criminals during the festive period.
It is all too easy for staff to be distracted by thoughts of Christmas and become vulnerable to the kinds of sophisticated attacks that are now becoming more common.
The campaign spans over 12 days with each day focusing on one of the top 12 cybersecurity threats. This forms part of a wider initiative by Leeds based managed services provider Hollinbay, to increase cybersecurity awareness across Yorkshire.
The problem is so prolific that the Yorkshire and Humberside police force have a special unit dedicated to cybercrime. Local officer Shelton Newsham is working with Hollinbay and other companies in the area to fight against this type of crime. He said: “Cybersecurity is an increasing threat to businesses, Hollinbay’s Christmas campaign will help to make them aware of the kinds of threats they are facing. I am a supporter of all campaigns that assist organisations in understanding Cyber threats.”
Hollinbay’s managing director Robert Harder said: “We can install every piece of cybersecurity software imaginable but if staff are not adequately trained to identify attacks, they remain vulnerable. Therefore, cybersecurity awareness is our number one priority and we are funding a series of seminars called Understanding Cybersecurity which are free to all businesses in Yorkshire. Those who have already attended have found them invaluable. The next one is to be held at the Bradford Bulls Millennium Suite on Wednesday 23 January 2019.”
He continued: “We also offer Cyber Essentials certification, a national standard in cybersecurity. In line with Government recommendations we are encouraging all our customers to become Cyber Essentials certified. This gives an MOT of IT infrastructure and makes all the changes necessary to guard against the most common cyber threats. This is particularly important to businesses working with government organisations where Cyber Essentials is a mandatory part of the tender process.”
