A new annual summit is pushing the message that cybersecurity should be front and centre in the minds of businesses and organizations across all sectors, and that the need for online protection will only increase as time goes on.
CyberSmart 2017, hosted by CyberNB, the Opportunities NB operating agency geared toward making cybersecurity a top priority in the province, kicked off Wednesday for two days of guest speakers and discussion on the growing issue.
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The event’s first keynote speaker, author Fred Kaplan, stressed the need for individuals and organizations alike to revamp how they protect themselves from cyber crime, an issue that is often overlooked despite having a lengthy history.
“This is nothing new,” Kaplan said. “It was realized in the very beginnings of the Internet going back 50 years.”
“It’s nothing that can be fixed or repaired,” he explained. “It can be managed, it can be controlled, but the nature of the technology, the very nature of it makes it vulnerable to intrusion of all kinds.”
Kaplan said the average time before a private company becomes aware that an online intruder has gained access to their website, files or documents is seven months.
Having procedures in place to mitigate potential damage from cyber crime, such as the loss of client’s personal information, should be a top priority for any organization operating online.
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“If somebody really, really wanted to get in and had a lot of tools, they’re going to get in,” Kaplan said. “The question becomes ‘okay what do you do once they’re in?'”
David Shipley of Beauceron Security is aware of the way cybersecurity is currently viewed and believes educating personnel on facets like potential damage and how to avoid it is a key step toward lessening the effects of cyber crime on businesses.
“Cybersecurity is a lot like being a healthy person … it’s not just diet, it’s not just exercise, it’s not just being aware of pre-existing conditions,” Shipley explained. “It’s the combination of all and right now we’re living an extraordinarily unhealthy lifestyle.”
Though managing the negatives that come with cyber terrorism is the main focus of events like CyberSmart, with an estimated one million unfilled IT sector positions worldwide, capitalizing on a growing industry like cybersecurity has long been a mandate of the provincial government, and one that Shipley says could benefit from a wide array of professionals.
“If we don’t have enough trained, skilled, knowledgeable and aware folks to fill a variety of roles, not just science technology roles but people roles as well, then we’re not going to make any progress on this issue.”
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