My partner is a landscape gardener - who would want to hack me?

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Category: Cyber Security (Personal)

Published: 03 February 2020

You may think your small business would not be interesting to global cyber crooks. But you may have a client or supplier who may be of interest. Graeme Batsman explains so-called "supply-chain security" and why you should guard sensitive information closely.

What is supply-chain security?
In the world of cybersecurity, supply-chain security means that every business, big or small, in an organisation's supply chain must have proper cybersecurity measures in place, otherwise cyber attackers could get to a big organisation via a vulnerability in their supplier network.

Supply-chain security is something we hear about all the time. One famous example of poor supply-chain security is the “Target vendor, Fazio Mechanical, confirms being victim of attack” case where attackers in the Former Soviet Union broke in through a small company specialising in refrigeration and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). According to Nextgov, such supply-chain attacks increased 78% in 2018. So what about the smaller fish? Your employees or the one-man-band who services an estate of a billionaire?

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Hostile reconnaissance: What is it and how do we stay safe?

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Category: Cyber Security (Personal)

Published: 03 February 2020

Shhh! Cyber attackers often use hostile reconnaissance in the physical world to find a way into an organisation. So what is hostile reconnaissance? Graeme Batsman explains some common spear-fishing tactics used by attackers.

We are constantly told to be cybersecurity aware, to lock our workstations (control-alt-delete), have a clear desk, not put sensitive information near windows and especially be careful what we post online. These messages are drummed into us fairly often – but rarely are we told the reasons behind them or, better still, shown the real-life implications.

Dark Reading speculating that veterans are being targeted because of their military history being listed on LinkedIn, social media users should be more careful. It is very likely all spear-phishing attacks start off with recon on social media - just see what PhishLabs think.

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7 cybersecurity tips for wedding photographers – or anyone, really

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Category: Cyber Security (Personal)

Published: 03 February 2020

QA Cyber Security Technical Consultant Graeme Batsman looks at why cybersecurity is important for photographers, especially those with celebrity clients, and offers tips for us all to help protect our photos against hackers.

A photographer’s skills lie in capturing great moments which last forever – rather than data security. However, it’s still important that they think about securing their devices, and looking at the security of their cloud provider or data sovereignty.

Many paparazzi and cyber extortionists would love to steal unreleased photos. While the rich and famous often have great physical security and make sure they’re secured in the digital world, their supply chain represents a great opportunity for people looking to get hold of these photos.

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