Cyber Security Threats for 2016

Cyber security will remain a high profile issue for businesses  as we move into 2016.

Many small businesses do not appreciate the speed at which cyber related exposures are developing and the importance of robust cyber security being in place , it is therefore vitally important to be aware of these as businesses are nowadays almost 100% reliant on technology.

Existing cyber security risks will develop and new ones are likely to emerge, some examples of these are as follows:-

  • Outdated technology may be susceptible to unauthorised access from a hacker if patching has not been carried out on a regular basis.
  • Current security procedures need to be updated to keep pace with the sophistication of hackers  techniques.
  • Forgotten maintenance of the Internet may lead to opportunities for hackers
  • The Internet of Things will provided increased connectivity between many more devices and has the potential to produce vulnerabilities in security loop holes.
  • Businesses are increasing moving towards the use of cloud providers and therefore being able to monitor data is likely to become more difficult. With the abolishment of the Safe Harbour this will have of particular impact to firms trading in the USA.
  • Perceived increased focus by hackers on small businesses that may not have the same standard of IT security as larger companies.

The underlying message is that the cyber risk landscape is constantly evolving and businesses must be increasing on their guard to anticipate this by updating and improving their existing cyber security.