01 February, 2023

 

Is your Business Prepared for a Cyberattack?

 

You have alerted your LinkedIn followers that you have started a new job. On the first day, the owner sends you an email asking you to do a simple task. There are emails back and forth, in the middle of which, there is a link. Being so new to the company and unsure of the exact protocols, you click on the link, which downloads some ransomware to your PC.

 

The ransomware takes hold of your PC on Friday at 4pm. It then runs all weekend. By Monday morning, all 10 PCs are locked out of the server and backups are gone.

 

For some companies, it can take 10 to 15 days to get back online, others are not so lucky.

 

The common misconception is that many cyber criminals are young people sitting in front of a computer looking to make some money. The reality is cybercrime is comprised of well-structured organisations including access management, malware operations, data handlers, negotiators, and even customer service and marketing departments.

 

According to SMESEC (a lightweight Cybersecurity framework for protecting SMEs against Cyber threats), 60% of SMEs who were victims of cyber-attacks did not recover from the cyber-attack and shut down within six months.

 

At Cyber Skills, we want to give business owners the tools to protect their business from cyberattacks. That is why Munster Technological University (MTU) and Cyber Skills have developed a new workshop series, Cybersecurity for Business (NFQ Level 6 10 ECTS).

 

The workshop series consists of three morning sessions designed specifically to provide business owners with the key knowledge and skills to protect themselves against cybersecurity attacks. On completion of the workshop series, business owners will be armed with a Cyber Risk Assessment, a Business Continuity Plan and Annual Cyber Checklist tailored to their individual business.

 

Cybersecurity for Business is especially important for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) given that they play a vital role in adding value to all sectors of the economy, yet they lack the essential skills to protect their businesses, which are heavily dependent on digital systems that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Business owners and employees of SMEs are eligible to apply and participate in this workshop series, irrespective of their background or experience. The only requirement will be that they work in a small business i.e., retailer, hairdresser, construction, etc. that uses digital technology such as one or more computers.

 

Donna O’Shea, Chair of Cybersecurity, “Growing up, my family owned a small business, so I really understand the challenges that they face, their limitations in terms of time and how cost can sometimes be a barrier. When designing the workshops, we focused on making it accessible to everyone by minimising the cost and focusing on the essential knowledge required to protect small businesses everywhere against cybersecurity-attacks.”

 

Cyber Skills is now accepting applications for the Cybersecurity for Business workshop series starting on Monday 13th February and hosted at MTU Cork. For enquiries, please contact info@cyberskills.ie

Cyber Skills is a collaboration between Munster Technological University (MTU), University of Limerick (UL) and Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)